WEALTH
TRANSFER REVISITED
©
Morris Ruddick
The
days are near when every vision will be fulfilled. For I the Lord
will speak what I will and it will be fulfilled without delay.
For the rebellious shall see that I will fulfill whatever I say
declares the Lord. When the people say the visions he sees are
for many years from now say, this is what the Lord says, none
of My Words will be delayed any longer, whatever I say will be
fulfilled.' Ezekiel 12:22
The
wealth transfer has become a hot topic. Companies are being birthed
with the vision of creating vast amounts of money destined to
advance the Kingdom of God. Believers in business are coming up
with opportunities with unusual returns designed to accelerate
the spread of the Gospel. There are rumblings of technologies
proposing to change the balance of power in the world's economic
system. Intercessory teams designed to pierce the opposition are
being mobilized. Ministries are aligning themselves with super-achievers
they discern will spearhead expected wealth transfer venues.
Yet,
we have entered a time when the cresting of the wave created
by this God-initiated marketplace movement has swept in an array
of efforts and initiatives with a flurry of intriguing, promising
activity, that either will never materialize or will fall far
short. Far too many mounting this wave come from the ranks of
the uninitiated and well-intentioned though they might be
who have never been given a vision, or for that matter a calling
from God. While avoiding throwing out the baby with the bath water,
there is a need to revisit this whole issue of the wealth transfer.
In
1996 the Lord led me to begin praying into the scripture in Proverbs
13:22 which states that the
wealth of the wicked is stored up for the righteous . There
is both a principle and a prophetic dynamic operating in this
scripture. For four years I wrote about the various dimensions
of the wealth transfer that I was gleaning from my prayer closet.
Then I began realizing something. The context of what I had been
praying for was a top-down wealth transfer which I believe there
will be. But that revelation initiated a time of inquiring of
the Lord about the other side to this dynamic: the bottom-up
wealth transfer .
The
Bottom-Up Wealth Transfer
From
Genesis and the Torah, the Psalms, Proverbs and the Prophets,
to the parables of Jesus and the writings of Paul is a multiplicity
of scriptures on the bottom-up component of the practical issues
of wealth. The Bible contains a richness of wisdom on entrepreneurial
practices; on operating a small business; together with principles
on how a business grows and prospers. One segment of the Torah
in particular, the book of Deuteronomy, I found to be a treasure
house of principles on how you run a God-centered entrepreneurial
community. These extraordinary insights from God's Word became
the starting-point for the God's economy business startup program
I developed and now have underway.
So,
as I began pressing into the two sides to the wealth transfer
the top-down and the bottom-up dimensions I began realizing
more. There is a process involved in this wonderful dynamic that
the Lord has been speaking to the Body about during the course
of the last decade, give or take a couple of years.
THEN,
just a few weeks ago while in prayer, I got one of those unexpected
words that the Lord tends to interject from time to time. That
word was this: the wealth transfer is not about money .
Zeal
without Knowledge
Shortly
afterward, as I was praying for the understanding of this word,
I got a call from an established Christian business owner. He
shared that his 15 year old, successful, respected global business
was faced with filing for protection under the bankruptcy laws.
The reason was that he entered into an arrangement with another
believer, whose word was no good. Leveraging the trust we tend
to extend to other believers, his zealous associate simply reneged
on the deal, leaving my friend high and dry.
Yet
somewhere between the crooks, the flakes, the false visionaries
and the ambitious whose word means nothing, God is genuinely doing
something. Likewise, the time for the greater release of what
God is doing with the wealth transfer is indeed drawing near,
because the counterfeit always seems to precede the real.
The
scripture in Ezekiel 12 about every vision being fulfilled
, was speaking about God-given vision. Aside from the schemers
and the phonies, we need to start distinguishing a God-given vision
from what might be an inspired desire or simply good intentions.
God-given visions will be on firm foundations. They will involve
a solid track record. They will reflect a people whose word is
their bond.
In
Romans 10:2 (Amplified) the Apostle Paul wrote: I bear them
witness that they have a [certain] zeal and enthusiasm for God,
but it is not enlightened and according to [correct and vital]
knowledge . Paul's summation of his own people is very much
the issue as the wealth transfer becomes popular and trendy. It
has attracted a lot of zeal and enthusiasm that needs to be enlightened
and tempered according to correct and vital knowledge. To grasp
what the Spirit of the Lord is doing and avoid the counterfeits
and false starts is going to first require a more seasoned grasp
of the purpose of this wealth.
The
Purpose
There
is a deception and short-sightedness operating when the goal for
"Kingdom businesses" is viewed primarily from the stance
of being huge money-generators. Yet, if the wealth transfer is
not about money, then what is its purpose? Why is there to be
a wealth transfer? While it is clear that it will involve money;
the fact is that money is not the goal of the wealth transfer.
The
wealth transfer will be part of the prelude to the clash of all
ages which is about the restoration of God's redemptive dominion
and order. It's a struggle over the prevailing worldview. It's
a power shift. It is why this move of God within the seats of
power in business and government is so significant. It ties into
the scripture in Isaiah 60, which in referring to Israel, indicates
that the " wealth of the seas shall be turned to them
and the riches of the nations will come...."
Three
chapters in my Joseph-Daniel Calling book address the
primary purposes of the top-down wealth transfer. At the core
of these purposes pivot the issues of the restoration of Israel
(both the land and the people) and the admonition in Isaiah 58
to reach out to the oppressed, afflicted and needy. Yet, you may
be asking, what about spreading the Gospel? Doesn't the book of
Acts tells of a time when believers were increasingly added
to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women ? Indeed it
does!
Yet,
very few within the Church today can honestly even relate to
multitudes being increasingly added to the Lord. The
reason why is because over the centuries much of the Church has
lost its focus in terms of the Gospel fully lining up with the
heart of God. Spreading the Gospel cannot be separated from the
key issues of Israel, Jewish revival and the strategic significance
of what Isaiah 58 means to the heart of God. There is a gap that
needs to be bridged.
The
wealth transfer is of strategic significance to God's purposes
in bridging this gap. It is not about a new breed of benevolent
money-changers. It is not about harnessing the talents of high-achievers.
There
may be huge amounts of money generated through Kingdom businesses
coming to the forefront. Yet, if Christian-directed businesses
only serve the purpose of more of the same harder, then we will
have missed the significance of bridging this gap and the alignment
needed for the wealth transfer. Jesus' ministry reflected the
heart of God to the Jew first. The ministry of Jesus also had
a bottom-up focus giving priority to everyday people. A significant
harbinger for the release of the wealth transfer is the Church
fully aligning its thrust with the heart of God. A key part of
the infrastructure is in place. The remaining part of this alignment
will lead to believers being increasingly added to the Lord,
multitudes of both men and women .
It
will be an alignment with initiatives that strengthen
the Body in Israel (in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria as noted in
Acts 1:8). It likewise will be an alignment to release the mobilization
of specific community building efforts (the uttermost parts of
the earth) that serve to break the back of the bondage of oppression,
affliction and hunger (Isaiah 58).
The
wealth transfer will have at its forefront, leaders patterned
after the priestly-kings of old. These will be business, community
and governmental leaders modeled after Abraham, Isaac, Joseph,
Nehemiah, David and Daniel who will penetrate the veil created
by the powers of darkness, change the course of nations and build
the Kingdom of God. Those genuinely called as God's kings for
this day will LEAD, pave the way and bring transformation, not
just fill the coffers for the pet fund-raisers of the upwardly
mobile ministry elite.
The
combined scope of the wealth transfer will incorporate community-driven
entrepreneurial principles with applications that will impact
both the young and the old; as well as the worker and the educated.
Reaching the lost will take on new dimensions which will involve
a lot more than filling the pews or funding a broadcast, however
worthy those goals may be.
In
the days before us is a God-orchestrated paradigm shift in the
way the Body reaches out to build community and bring about transformation.
God's dominion is the realignment reflecting His order and blessings
being extended into the midst of society. It is the context for
when believers are increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes
of both men and women .
The
Transformation
Charity
has never been an issue in the principles guiding God's people.
Contributions and generosity are clearly outlined in the Word
of God. Yet, the wealth transfer will bring in another dimension
altogether.
World
War II was the precursor to the coming clash of all ages. What
has been underway since that time has been a transformation of
focus and method in the Church's role of extending God's redemption
and love in both the practical and supernatural. There has been
radical change from the anemic Church of the mid-forties to the
vibrant, purposeful Body we know today. The Body has been prepared
to penetrate the fabric of society and build community and impact
nations.
Yet,
to build community and impact nations is going to require an adjustment
of mind-set in terms of the strategy and means of accomplishing
these initiatives. It is going to involve more than just the contributions
of the faithful. There is no question that the Body is overdue
in reassessing the limitations of returning again and again to
the wellspring of the personal resources of other believers. Indeed,
there is a need to break outside the mold of a methodology that
may have been adequate for its time, but falls short in terms
of the requirements needed for the task before us.
For
almost six decades, the Body has been undergoing a series of genuine
moves of the Spirit that has immersed the Church in the areas
of the supernatural, intercession, the prophetic and the strategic.
Systematically, the Spirit of the Lord has strengthened, mobilized
and connected the Body by extending its sphere to outside the
four walls of local congregations into the arenas of the media,
the internet, the marketplace and our communities.
Now,
as the Spirit of the Lord continues to move and the paradigm continues
shifting, this process is reaching a stage of maturity as the
Body advances into the economic and community building arenas.
Not
About Money
The
wealth transfer is about a transformation of power. It is about
a pathway out of the oppression, affliction and poverty that run
rampant in societies and segments of society that are ruled by
the godless. It's about righteous dominion as God begins bringing
restoration and redemption through those who are known by His
Name. It's about setting the foundations for this power shift
in the economic arena as the stimulant to the greatest move of
God's Spirit the world has yet to see.
While
the wealth transfer is not about money, it will involve money.
Money will be an outgrowth of the process of dominion-related
restoration and redemption. When the Church fully aligns itself
with God's heart and stops chasing money, mammon's back over God's
work will be broken and the release will begin.
Kings
and Priests
Much
has been advanced in recent years about the roles, functions and
interactions of the kings and priests within the Body. However,
the wealth transfer is not about an inter-Church or intra-Church
power struggle. It is about an advancement of the sphere of influence
of God's people that is going to require much, much more in terms
of leadership than the church model of the forties or the parachurch
model of the sixties. The basis of how the Body relates to the
world around it has significantly evolved since World War II.
Those
called as leaders in the leaders in the Body are moving into new
arenas as God restores His influence in the spheres of business,
politics and the media. Whereas leaders best described as kingly-priests
built the parachurch movement, the marketplace movement is being
pioneered by priestly-kings. In much the same way that the parachurch
movement reflected a growing array of cooperative efforts between
churches and ministries, the marketplace movement will be the
catalyst for many efforts that ministries have heretofore only
envisioned.
Bridging
the Gap
There
are indeed gaps to be bridged and mind-sets adjusted to actuate
the release of what the Lord is poised to do. The non-scriptural
terms of the clergy and laity are examples that have done much
to dampen and immobilize grass roots efforts within the Body.
My pastor in the early 70s reflected unusual insight into the
need to bridge this gap. As the pastor of a fast-growing church
of that time, he noted the number of people who never quite grasped
the Truth until they heard a testimony from a non-clergical peer.
It's what the Apostle Paul was referring to in Ephesians 4 with
the importance of perfecting the saints for the work of
the ministry . It's foundational to the paradigm shift that
will incorporate the wealth transfer.
There
is a mobilization underway within the Body that extends into the
business and community arenas. It's an Ephesians 4 thing. This
penetration of the workplace and community is bridging the gap
of relevance that Jesus challenged the Pharisees on. Indeed, a
large number of the parables were based on economic and business
issues. They dealt with the practical means by which God made
His people to be the head and not the tail. Unfortunately, the
Church has had a long history of internal power struggles and
the creation of separations and gaps that have impeded the Kingdom
of God coming into its fullness. However, the outpouring of His
power in this day is taking on new dimensions.
God's
move in the marketplace is serving to bridge those gaps, as the
Body unites and begins dealing with the real issues involved in
advancing God's Kingdom. The wealth transfer is about a mobilization
and power shift, that will be the result of the alignment of several
key factors; which in turn will lead to the greatest time of transformation
and conflict that the world has ever seen.
When
the Top-Down and the Bottom-Up Connect
When
the top-down and bottom-up dimensions of the wealth transfer begin
touching, it will be as a catalyst for a great release of God's
transforming power. Additionally, as the mobilization of the entrepreneurial
bottom-up transfer connects with the top-down, it will mark a
time when money is no longer an issue, but rather the by-product
of the transforming initiatives set in motion. It will also coincide
with a time when the kings start LEADING and the kingly priests
and the priestly kings begin COLLABORATING.
In
1 Corinthians 2:4 the Apostle Paul noted the importance of our
faith not resting on the wisdom of men, but on the demonstration
of the Spirit and power. This is what the world is looking for.
It entails the operation of the supernatural. It also reflects
the operation of the practical based on the principles that guide
us in God's Word. The mobilization of God's marketplace ambassadors
will offer hope to those who have no hope. Whether from those
called as nation-changing Josephs or from everyday entrepreneurs
making an impact on their communities through this dynamic of
the wealth transfer, lives are going to be impacted by this demonstration
of what the Spirit of the Lord has been preparing His people to
do.
Before
us, as indicated in the Ezekiel 12 prophecy, is a time of fulfillment.
In many ways, we are entering a new generation. It will be a new
era marked by great power and change as the Lord releases those
He has chosen as facilitators to set in motion initiatives aligned
with the priorities of His heart.
Yet I will lift up My hand to the nations and set up My standard
to the peoples; and they will bring your sons in their bosoms,
and your daughters will be carried on their shoulders. Kings will
be your guardians, and their princesses your nurses
and you will
know that I am the Lord . Isaiah 49:22
___________________________________________
Morris
Ruddick is the author of two books that address the issues of
the wealth transfer. The Joseph-Daniel Calling and God's Economy,
Israel and the Nations are each available from Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com
and other popular outlets.
2005
Copyright Morris Ruddick info@strategic-initiatives.org
Reproduction
is prohibited unless permission is given by a SIGN advisor. Since
1996, the Strategic Intercession Global Network (SIGN) has mobilized
prophetic intercessors committed to targeting strategic-level
issues impacting the Body on a global basis. For more information
on SIGN, check: www.strategicintercession.org
