Luke 8:1–3 “He went throughout every city and village, preaching and shewing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God: and the twelve were with him, And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils, And Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto him of their substance.”
DAILY READING – Philippians 2:1-11; Ezekiel 20; Isaiah 49
500 years ago, the English Bible did not exist. In 1408, the Roman Catholic Church had banned any translation of the Bible into English. And so English people had no access to the Bible, rather it was only read to them in Church every Sunday in Latin, a language they didn’t understand. At this time, God raised up a man named William Tyndale and gave him a burning desire to translate the Bible into English. Tyndale could read Latin, knew the Bible and desperately wanted to bring God’s Word into the language of the people. However though Tyndale had the vision, he lacked the necessary resources and funds to make it become a reality. At this time also God raised a successful cloth merchant named Humphrey Monmouth who came alongside Tyndale and funded the translation. Monmouth who was greatly affected by the ministry of Tyndale, not only funded the first translation of the Bible into English, but also housed Tyndale for six months while he worked. And when the English Bible was eventually printed, Monmouth used his merchant ships to smuggle the first 3,000 copies of the English New Testament into England. They came hidden in bales of cloth, stuffed in sacks of flour and sealed in watertight boxes inside barrels of oil and wine. These contraband Bibles were sold in secret. People eagerly bought them up, happy at last to have a Bible they could read in their own language and know God through it. Though King Henry VIII tried to stamp out the influence of Tyndale’s translation, he was unable to stop the spread, due to the sheer volume of Humphrey Monmouth’s ships carrying the Tyndale translations to every corner of the British Empire. The fruit of Tyndale and Monmouth’s partnership did shake England. However they eventually paid a high price; Tyndale, who had lived in exile from England for over a decade, ended up betrayed, arrested, imprisoned and finally burned at the stake — for translating the Bible into English! While Monmouth spent a year confined in the Tower of London.
Today Tyndale’s work lives on: 90% of the King James Version of the Bible and 75% of the Revised Standard Version are from the translation made by William Tyndale and over 600 million English speakers directly benefit from William Tyndale’s life and work. However, Monmouth’s contribution was no less as important as the work done by Tyndale.
Not all of us can stand and preach in a church or go to a mission field, but all of us can play a vital role in God’s work like Monmouth, by using our resources for His Kingdom. The kingdom mandate requires us to faithfully serve God through supporting preachers to take the message of the Gospel into all the world. As God raises heroes of faith like William Tyndale, there is also a call for men like Monmouth to arise to support their vision. Luke chapter 8 mentions certain women such as Mary called Magdalene, and Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others, who ministered unto Jesus out of their substance.
We must be willing to sow willingly towards the work of spreading the Gospel into all the world. God’s financial dominion plan anchors on the covenant of seed time and harvest. To enjoy financial fortune your desire must be to see God’s Kingdom prosper. Kingdom wealth is not an achievement, rather it is an entrustment from God to those who will promote His Kingdom. Indeed when we seek first the advancement of God’s kingdom, then He ensures all other things are added unto us (Matthew 6:33).
PRAYER: Lord, I thank You for granting me the grace to accept the spiritual responsibility of giving towards the expansion of Your kingdom. Thank You Lord, for Your multiplied blessings upon my life even as I sow in accordance to Your Word in Jesus Name
QUOTE
When you make that which is priority to God to become your priority, God automatically makes you priority in His own plan. – WORDBITE 222