The Holy Spirit is your supply for bringing the life and ministry of Jesus into your life and ministry.

Mat 8:19-20 (NIV) Then a teacher of the law came to Him and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus replied, “Foxes HAVE holes and birds of the air HAVE nests, but the Son of Man HAS no place to lay His head.”

Possession is a concept that the mature Christian and minister gives up. They may “own” a car, a house, clothes, money in the bank, and a cabinet full of food; but, they have learned that their ownership is subject to God’s ownership. Unlike Jesus’ disciples, it doesn’t appear that Jesus ever bought a house, land, or anything other than clothing. Even though His disciples still “owned” houses, boats, and other things, they were on twenty-four hour call. They never knew when they would be able to get back “home”.

Luke 8:22-24 (NIV) One day Jesus said to His disciples, “Let’s go over to the other side of the lake.” So they got into a boat and set out. As they sailed, He fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger. The disciples went and woke Him, saying, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!” He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm.

Jesus simply lived His life and took care of His physical needs by taking advantage of the provisions that were available at the time. Things cost money just like they do now. Judas took care of a money bag that Jesus kept the funds in that God supplied to them through people. Jesus may have used Peter and Andrew’s or James and John’s boat; or, He may have rented one to travel across the lake. All everyone had was available for Jesus and His life and ministry.

Luke 6:12 (NIV) One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God.

Jesus used all of those things that God had provided for free. He used mountains, gardens, fields, beaches, and deserts to pray, teach, and minister. He also used public facilities to talk, heal, and minister to people. Wherever there was a group of people, whether it was in a home, the temple, a courtyard, a market place, or place of business, Jesus used it all without having to raise a lot of funds for doing His ministry.

Luke 22:8-12 (NIV) Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover.” “Where do You want us to prepare for it?” they asked.

He replied, “As you enter the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him to the HOUSE that he enters, and say to the owner of the HOUSE, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with My disciples?’ He will show you a large upper room, all furnished. Make preparations there.”

If they needed some special accommodations, people would either donate them or they could rent them. Jesus really did live the life like birds and lilies lived. Just as surely as we can count on money coming in from jobs, investments, savings, insurance, and company benefits, we can much more count on God causing resources to constantly flow into our lives and through our ministries. The key is to live a life and do a ministry that doesn’t get entangled with major financial obligations.

Luke 10:38-42 (NIV) As Jesus and His disciples were on their way, He came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her HOME to Him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what He said.

But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to Him and asked, “Lord, don’t You care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many THINGS, BUT ONLY ONE THING IS NEEDED. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Jesus shows us a life and ministry that is based on seeking first God’s Kingdom and God’s righteousness. Martha is trying to take care of all their physical needs. She could have easily been the person we liked the most. We probably would have told Mary to get in there and help Martha. Jesus, on the other hand, is telling Martha that she needs to stop taking care of the physical needs and start listening to His teaching. He is living this way; and He is trying to help her seek first God’s Kingdom and God’s righteousness.

You can see how the home ministry works. Meeting in people’s homes and talking about the things that help them get saved and grow spiritually, is the way Jesus did a lot of His ministry. The homes have most of the facilities we need for taking care of our physical needs. Homes are where the people are. We can start churches in them; we can meet for leading the family to Jesus; we can have small groups in them; and we can use them for taking care of people’s physical needs. They just have to gradually become places that are devoted to Jesus’ use.

There are a lot of Martha’s and even some Martin’s in this world. They find it hard to have home ministry in their home because they feel obligated to make sure their home meets everyone’s physical needs. Home ministry isn’t a place where all the Martha’s and Martin’s spend all their time slaving in the kitchen while everyone else gets ministered to. We all have to be Mary’s. When it is time to eat, we must all pitch in and get it ready. When it is time to minister, we must ALL sit down and give and receive the words God has for us.

Luke 19:2-6 (NIV) A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see Who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see Him, since Jesus was coming that way. When Jesus reached the spot, He looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your HOUSE today.” So he came down at once and welcomed Him gladly.

Jesus used this home meeting as an opportunity to lead Zacchaeus into a relationship with God and teach Kingdom principles (Luke 19:8-28). This type of ministry is the kind of ministry God will keep financing. It doesn’t involve large buildings, mortgages, fund raisers, financial appeals, serving money, and distractions from helping hurting people. The emphasis stayed on the people and their immediate needs. When homes are used, it is unlimited as to how many people can be ministered to. It can grow and jump from one location to another without major aspects of organizational structure.

Luke 10:4-8 (NIV) Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road. When you enter a HOUSE, first say, ‘Peace to this HOUSE.’ If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; if not, it will return to you. Stay in that HOUSE, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from HOUSE to HOUSE. When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is set before you.

On the disciple’s first training mission of going out to do ministry, Jesus stripped them of all financial resources. He wanted them to know for a fact that they didn’t need to concern themselves with financial issues. Luke 22:35-36 (NIV) Then Jesus asked them, “When I sent you without purse, bag or sandals, did you lack anything?” “Nothing,” they answered. He said to them, “But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one. They learned how to do the ministry without thinking much about how to finance the ministry.

Luke 5:27-29 (NIV) After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. “Follow Me,” Jesus said to him, and Levi got up, left everything and followed Him. Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his HOUSE, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them.

Leaving everything isn’t the same as selling everything. After Levi “left everything,” he held a great banquet for Jesus at his house. Some people won’t be required by God to go sell everything and give it to the poor. Some will use their home for ministry. Some will sell their lands and donate the money to help the Christians continue their “house” ministry. God is our boss and He decides what He wants us to do with what we have.

Luke 7:36 (NIV) Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so He went to the Pharisee’s HOUSE and reclined at the table.

Some “house” ministries will be for working with people who are somewhat resistive to the work of Jesus. This will put you in an environment that most types of ministries wouldn’t be able to offer. House ministries open doors that put you in contact with people like Levi, Zacchaeus, and this Pharisee named Simon. It also puts you in contact with their friends that they invite to come over. You can have parties, dinners, feasts, and simple talks around the table. Jesus used them all to open a conversation with those that came (Luke 7:37-50). House ministries are some of the best ways of reaching our world with the life, message, ministry, and healing from Jesus.

Luke 8:1-3 (NIV) After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with Him, and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; Joanna the wife of Cuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means.

When we do the ministry using simple, financially basic, hurting-people driven motives, God uses all kinds of people to finance it. These women weren’t exploited, challenged to give, or preached to about the importance of supporting the ministry. They had been massively transformed and blessed by the mighty, loving power of God. They were supporting something that was changing the world around them in a supernatural way. The ministers and the ministry they were supporting wasn’t thinking about finances. They were busy doing the work God had called them to do.

John 19:25-27 (NIV) Near the cross of Jesus stood His mother, His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw His mother there, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, “Dear woman, here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.

Homes are real houses not convalescent homes run by hired hands who are doing it for the money. Christians take care of each other; Christian families are a place where all our spiritual and physical needs are cared for. Love runs the lives and ministries of all involved. When the life, ministry, AND methods of Jesus are yielded to, the family of God becomes a real family of brothers and sisters.