Who is This Man?
In 1990 he was a successful, popular pastor who held a doctorate in theology and who served on the board of a pregnancy resource center. After much prayer he decided to participate in nonviolent rescues at abortion clinics. In the process he was arrested several times and was even sent to jail a few days for his pro life work.
Largest Court Judgment Against Pro Life Group
Then an abortion clinic won the largest court judgment ever against his pro life group and group of peaceful protestors: $8.4 million. Soon his church was about to receive a writ of garnishment demanding that they surrender a portion of his monthly wages to the abortion clinic. The church would have to pay the abortion clinic or defy a court order. So to avoid this, he resigned as pastor of his church.
God Had Other Plans
But what others intended for evil, God intended for good (Genesis 50:20). The former pastor founded Eternal Perspective Ministries, which owns all of the books this pastor writes. He and his wife work for a small salary at minimum wage – enough to cover their rent, utilities, food, and other basics – and 100% of the rest goes to missions, famine relief, and ministries such as Voice of the Martyrs which helps persecuted Christians worldwide.
Books Became Best Sellers
All of a sudden, this former pastor’s books became the hottest best sellers on Christian bookshelves, and he became a professor and sought-after speaker. He has spoken all over the world and has been interviewed on more than 450 radio and television programs. He teaches biblical interpretation, theology and ethics at Multnomah Bible College and Western Seminary.
Yet, the former pastor and his family earn nothing from the royalties or extra work. All of it goes to worthwhile ministries. The former pastor says, “Sometimes I think God sells the books just to raise funds for ministries close to his heart!”
This, friends, is Randy Alcorn, the author of Heaven. Randy Alcorn knows firsthand what it means to give everything he earns back to God.
Give Everything Back to God
His bestsellers include Heaven, In Light of Eternity, The Law of Rewards, The Treasure Principle, The Purity Principle, The Grace and Truth Paradox, and over a dozen fiction books detailing the afterlife.
He states, “If you wonder why God has blessed your business, maybe it’s not because the goods and services you offer are so extraordinary. Maybe it’s because he wants to provide you with more money to give back to him, and more reward in heaven! And if you don’t realize that, you’ll never experience the joy of giving, the thrill of kingdom investing he desires for you.”
Nutshell Contributions
Professor Alcorn has made many valuable contributions to the study of Heaven, Rewards, and Giving. But, perhaps his most notable include:
1. Ridding the church of its Platonic and Gnostic heresies which have rooted themselves in theology for well over 1,000 years and have destroyed belief in the reality of Heaven, a new earth and the city of New Jerusalem.
2. Teaching students and theologians about the “law of continuity” or “redemptive continuity,” – that the new earth and New Jerusalem will be renewed from the original creation. As theologian Herman Bavinck argued, “God’s honor consists precisely in the fact that he redeems and renews the same humanity, the same world, the same Heaven, and the same earth that have been corrupted and polluted by sin” (2004, 112)
Can We Receive a Righteous Man’s Reward?
Our hope is that we, the Body of Christ and Christian laity …” who receive a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward, and he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward” (Matthew 10:41, NASB).
Perhaps this means that Jesus honors those who support his finest workers. The Lord even tells us that “whoever in the name of a disciple gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink, truly I say to you, he shall not lose his reward” (Matthew 10:42).
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Scripture References:
“Everything under heaven belongs to me” (Job 41:11).
“The land is mine and you are but aliens and my tenants” (Leviticus 25:23).
Sources:
Alcorn, Randy. 2004. Heaven. Carol Stream, ILL: Tyndale.
— How did Eternal Perspective Ministries Begin?
Available from: www.epm.org
Benware, Paul. 2002. The believer’s payday. Chattanooga, TN: AMG.