by John Crowder   Mary approaches Jesus. She takes out a jar of perfume so expensive that it was worth a year’s wages – and she pours it out over His feet. The room fills with fragrance. Everything she had – her richest possession – and she spills it on Jesus. Many of us would think this a little extreme if we were sitting there at the table watching it happen. Hanging out with Jesus must have been very trippy.   Then she begins to wipe His feet with her hair. How bizarre. A little too out of the ordinary – perhaps inappropriate? None would argue that this is one of the most extravagant acts of worship in the Bible.   But it was Judas who summed up what many of us would have been thinking at that moment. “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor?”   Sounds practical. After all, isn’t real ministry about going out and solving the practical needs of the world? I would say that most of us – especially good religious people – would have fallen right into the Judas camp at that moment. Yet Jesus had an interesting spin on this question.   “Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.” (John 12:3-8)   Jesus was so pleased with this act of worship, that he quickly defended Mary and immediately rebuked her accusers. Jesus is showing us the importance of devotion first to Himself. Out of that divine intimacy will naturally come an overflow of ministry to others. Mary could have sold her perfume for the poor, but instead, she anointed the one who would overcome poverty itself. She followed the higher call.   Jesus explicitly tells us not to neglect the poor. But in this passage, the crux of what He is saying is this: If you have to choose between feeding the poor and worshipping me, worship me. First Jesus, then the poor. The “good” should never replace the “best.” Even the act of feeding the poor (of which Judas was not really concerned) should just be an extension of worshipping Jesus.     So what does this have to do with a teaching on partnership?   I believe strongly in partnership, because I want the nations set free, and it takes money. That alone is worth it all, despite your theology on finances: if a ministry produces the fruit of salvation, healing and deliverance, support it, even if you don’t get a financial “reward” in return (although I do not believe you can truly separate sacrifice from personal reward).   There are tons of good projects that are worthy of support, and the Lord calls us to do more than chase after good ideas and programs. Partnering with any ministry should really be about partnering with Jesus. Personally, we’ve got lots of great projects with bells and whistles and a lot of vision that we are believing the Lord to accomplish. But none of it about “our” ministry. Sow into John Crowder and you will reap a man. Sow into the presence of God, and you will reap an everlasting reward. Partnership is foremost an act of worship. It is about anointing Jesus with your financial offering and putting our dollar wherever we see God at work.   SOW INTO THE ANOINTING   We’ve heard lots of sermons about how extravagant Mary’s gift was. But it is not the extravagance of her gift that we should initially consider. Even more important was where she gave it. Notice that Jesus said Mary’s oil was intended for a specific purpose, and that specific purpose was to be poured out on Jesus. It was never intended just for man’s needs. Mary knew where to give. She knew that the Christ, “the anointed one,” was the only one worthy of being anointed.  Whenever we give, serve or donate, the underlying intent should always be for Jesus. Let me explain further:   Far too often, we have taken up offerings, paid our tithes and donated to ministries and charities with the perspective of meeting a perceived “need.” The church needs a new building. The evangelist needs cash for a mission trip. The church needs to pay its electric bill. These are all great things to fund, but when we slipped our check into the bucket, how many of us were thinking “I am giving this to you, Jesus. I am sowing into your anointing.” More often than not, we’re just thinking, “This is a worthy cause. I’ll support it,” or “The electric bill needs to be paid.”  It is not bad, of course, to show love for a human recipient or to bless a project just because it’s a good project. And yes, there are practical needs to meet that may not seem all that glorious. But the higher way is to always keep intimacy with Jesus as the focus of our sacrificial giving. Jesus was not moved by need; He was moved by the Father.   " ... I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by Himself; He can do only what He sees His Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does." (John 5:19)   We bless what the Father is blessing, because giving is an act of worship. I believe there is a place in the Spirit we can enter, where even paying the electric bill becomes a supernatural experience!   There is a very real principle of sowing into the anointing. Let me be very clear: We cannot ever buy the anointing. The Holy Spirit is not for sale. However, God does honor faith, obedience and sacrifice. When we sow into anointed ministries, to which we are called, we can very truly come into the corporate anointing that rests on that ministry. Something of the virtue and power on those with whom we partner is rubbed off onto our own lives, because of our connection. Whether you ever choose to sow into our Partnership Program or someone else’s (Lily and I partner with a number of ministries to keep a good balance), you will be surprised at the new level of power and anointing that comes upon your life in doing so. If you want to move in miracles, it makes sense to become associated with a miracle ministry. If you want to hear the voice of God, partner with a prophetic ministry. There are literally mantles on individual ministries that are transferred by association to those who sponsor them. Jump in, get connected and let the Spirit rub off on you! In fact, God invites you to test Him in this!   "' ... Test me in this,' says the Lord Almighty, 'and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it." (Mal. 3:10)   One of the primary ways we partner with the anointing is to look for God’s presence on a ministry. When we sow gifts into a ministry that operates in the glory and presence of God, there is acceleration on what we reap. We also should look for fruit, to see if we are planting our dollars into good soil. Is there power? Is the word inspired and revelatory? Are souls being saved? Are the poor being reached?   CALLED TO PARTNER   Notice that Mary did not need an arm-twisting sermon on tithing to prompt her to give such a large gift. In fact, the church leaders sitting around the table started rebuking her! How often have you offered a gift and your pastor said, “No Jim, I think that’s just a little bit too much.”   God is releasing his church to give out of passion and cheerfulness again. Once Mary knew her calling – her purpose, the place in which to sow her resources – it was like an absolute green light from God to give it everything she had. She saw where the real deal was and she threw herself into it. Jesus did not just go ministering haphazardly. He only did what He saw the Father doing. In the same way, we should partner with those to whom the Father leads us. That is how we truly sow into God’s presence. If we see the dancing hand of God on a thing, we support it. We sponsor what God sponsors. If we know a thing is ordained and anointed by God for our participation, we can dive in without reserve. When we see the smearing of the anointing – the presence of Jesus on something – we can drop all hesitation about supporting it.   This principle does not just apply to “ministry.” Whenever we sense the anointing or call of God in an area of our lives, it is like the Holy Spirit’s endorsement to step into that calling full throttle. If there is a longing in my heart to be a photographer, and I sense the presence of God on that type of activity, then photography becomes worship for me. It becomes a place of communion with the Holy Spirit, because the oil of God begins to drip from every photograph I take. A calling is where career, worship, ministry and desire can all blend into one vocation. When I have found that photography is that “one thing” that the Lord has called me to, I can throw all of my effort into photography without a second thought that I should really be doing geology, or teaching, or construction instead. I burn in my heart for photography and nothing else will satisfy. When the calling is made clear, I am free to throw out the other options and focus in.   SHARING THE REWARD   Many have been burned or turned off by excessive teaching on money, because ministers have sought personal gain. We got our eyes focused on the earthly recipient of our donations, and lost sight of the Lord. This has sadly sent many church people to the negative extreme of criticizing any financial teaching from the pulpit whatsoever. This is especially true for my generation. This criticism has, in turn, robbed many of us of greater anointing and financial blessings in our own lives and ministries that really does come through giving.   For years I attended a Vineyard church which purposely kept money messages low key. Our church in Alaska has for years just kept the tithe boxes in the back, next to the doorway in a no-pressure manner. This has almost been necessary for effective ministry today, because the church has been viewed by many as a big business or a money machine. But money is such a huge part of our natural lives, it would be foolish not to understand basic Biblical principles of stewardship and giving. Sometimes, we are missing out on a very real, tangible financial blessing, just because we have failed to understand the importance of offering our substance.   I believe this trend is about to change. I say this, because God is again releasing supernatural power into his corporate church, and we are on the first waves of a massive healing and revival. Scripture is clear that “(God’s) people will volunteer freely in the day of (His) power,” (Psalm 110:3)   One of these basic principles that has been lost is that of partnership. To be a partner, implies that there is a mutually beneficial relationship in ministry. My giving becomes the source of my gaining. Both recipient and donor are providing one another a service. There is a place in the spirit where a ministry and its partners literally access the same anointing on their lives. Like each of the tribes of Israel did, we work and fight alongside one another to ensure that each of us receives our portion of the Promised Land. And what is our inheritance? It is first of all more of God. But also, the Lord says to “ask and I will give you the nations as your inheritance.” There are spiritual rewards, wherein every saved soul is credited not just to the minister, but also the financial partner.   Jesus did not say hop on a plane and go take the nations; He said ask for them. Not everyone can pull away to travel overseas, yet we are all called to disciple the nations. Most people have jobs, regular routines and family commitments to which they are also called. Although you can’t pull away from these things, you can go in proxy by supporting those who do buy the plane tickets and speak at the crusades. We can gain our inheritance just through partnership. Sometimes, we need one another to come into personal obedience to the Great Commission. There is speed that comes through unity. It would take me 15 years to save enough money to hold one large overseas crusade. But with 1,000 partners, I can hold one every month. And how do the partners benefit? In every way that I do. We all receive an equal share in the blessings and reward – I am only a pawn in the whole process.     If God was interested in making ministry about a single man, He would cause money to appear in his pockets and let the preacher run the whole gig himself. But that’s not the way God works. Remember, it’s about intimacy and relationship. Both with Him, and with one another. God wants you, the partner, to join in the process. He wants us connected. We all co-labor together to get the job done. God is a God of communion, covenant, relationship and association.   In the days of Moses, we see the spiritual principle of rewards being equally distributed between those who went to war and those who stayed at home supporting the warriors.   “Count up the plunder that was taken …  and divide the plunder into two parts, between those who took part in the war, who went out to battle, and all the congregation (who stayed behind)” (Numbers 31: 25).   Whether we are preaching in a Third World country or supporting a missionary from the comfort of our living room, we all share in the spiritual reward of harvest, as well as the oil and favor of God that is on the ministry. One thing that we will begin to realize through partnership is the “commanded blessing” that comes through unity. We do not just receive financial blessings from covenant giving. And we do not just receive some ethereal reward in the far distant future of heaven, although that will come too. Our sacrificial giving does even more. It actually opens the heavens for a higher intensity of God in our own lives here on earth!   COMMITMENT THROUGH  RELATIONSHIP   Let us look at the Philippian church, which was one of Paul’s greatest supporters in the ministry:   “Moreover, as you Philipians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel … not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only … you sent me aid again and again when I was in need.” (Phil. 4:15). And of this partnership, Paul writes, “Not that I am looking for a gift, but I am looking for what may be credited to your account. … (The gifts you sent) are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God.” (Phil. 4:17-18).   Paul is literally saying that we get credit for the work done in another’s ministry, simply through partnering financially with them. Ninety percent of Christians would say they believe in this principle. In truth, we “sort of” believe this principle, but since we can’t immediately grasp the eternal rewards, we kind of brush it off. But this passage clearly shows that partnership is a mutual give and take thing. That’s because it is not until after they gave of their resources that Paul confidently says, “And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:19). This is a verse only available to those who are faithful in giving.   When I discuss partnering, understand that this principle implies a deep connection – an agreement between parties. For example, monthly partners, even if they are giving a small amount each month, are staying consistently committed to the work of the ministry. This can be more beneficial than the ones who drop a big single gift in the plate at a single meeting. Any minister thanks God for the big $1,000 check, and there is tremendous fruit from that. But God also wants us united like a family that is deeply dependent on one another. There are many ministries that I can consistently depend on for solid Word and solid power. But the question is, how many of them can consistently depend on me for support? That goes not just for finances, but also for prayer. We sometimes think the top gun prophets in the "who's who" of ministry today don't need regular prayer support, and we fail them.   God does call people to consistent, partner-based relationships. Not just sporadic prayer, but consistent prayer for a ministry. Not just one-time gifts, but consistent donations. One-time gifts are a tremendous blessing, and we don’t want to downplay them at all. But they are also quick, easy and lacking in long-term commitment. I believe our ministry models must imitate our walk with the Lord, in which we learn to “abide,” rather than simply make a splash then bail. Of course, we are not all called to support every ministry from which we glean. Each of us must ask Jesus where our expensive perfume is intended to be poured out. But every major ministry does have to rely on a partner base somewhere in order to be effective. A ministry cannot grow without them. This is not to say ministry is all about numbers, but a ministry’s fruit really does matter.   We could discuss many examples of partnership in the Bible. Even Jesus had a group of partners that supported him. Imagine the immediate blessings Jesus’ supporters received through their sponsorship! Just to get close enough to touch his clothes would get you healed.   Giving is one of the cornerstones of our Christian walk. It is right up there with prayer, study, fasting and worship. We cannot practice one of these and deny the others. If we are not truly giving, our faith is a lot of talkie talkie, without a lot of walkie walkie. “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matt. 6:21)   CATCHING THE ANOINTING   When Jesus is our treasure, when we are pursuing His face, he will release power, favor and provision as a byproduct. Our giving is a fragrance to the Lord. And when we pour out our fragrance on Him, it smears onto us as well and fills the entire room. This speaks of our household, our ministry, our office or sphere of influence. As we learn to pursue the anointing over anything else, people come to the Lord; healings simply happen; money simply comes. The favor simply comes. People are drawn to us, with little or no effort of our own. People can sense, or taste the presence of God on someone, and they are pulled to support that.   The anointing is really the key to partnership. It is God’s Spirit that binds us. There is no need for pressure or manipulation when the oil of God is flowing in a person’s life and ministry. The problem is, we often try to build ministry and programs without His presence. We get it backwards. When we are pursuing first the heart of God, we are free to dream bigger and lift our vision higher. When we seek Him first, all other things are added to us. The oil of anointing brings everything we need. Those who walk in the Spirit can ask what they wish of the King. Esther soaked for a year in fragrant oils before she went before the King, and when she came before him, she was able to ask anything she wished, even up to half his kingdom. The anointing brings this kind of favor into our lives.   God’s presence brings power, which releases favor, which releases provision. When the apostles walked in great power in Acts 4, “great grace (favor) was upon them all.” It was then that people began to sell lands and houses and put the money down at the apostles’ feet. There came a level of hilariously cheerful giving that continued to advance the kingdom and meet the needs of all. Don’t you want to walk in this kind of power? This kind of favor? It is our inheritance, as we partner with Jesus. Let us seek first His face.   Thank you Lord for your presence and anointing that releases favor and provision into our lives. We ask for more of that tangible presence, the very oil of God, to come upon us that we would be saturated with your fragrance. Oh the pleasure of anointing the feet of Jesus! We worship you not just with words but with our substance Lord! We choose life today. Let us burn with the living flame of the Lord. I thank you for partnership in your kingdom, and for releasing inheritance and blessing in our ministries and our homes. We thank you that we have been invited into friendship with you, Lord – that we can share in your secret counsel and that we can approach you as a son approaches a father whenever we have need. Lord, we seek first your heart and your kingdom. I thank you for your continued promise to release revelation, destiny and provision. You are always faithful to sustain us, Lord. Even now I ask that each one reading would be blessed with restoration in their families, salvation in their homes and healing in their bodies. Let the overflow of your abundance ever pour into our lives as we seek your face. Amen.