Be careful what ministries you support.

I am sure you know the Bible teaches God will reward you based on the works you’ve done:

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad (2 Cor 5:10).

You will be repaid according to what you did, “whether good or bad.” Obviously, you want to maximize the good and minimize the bad.

But did you know that you will also be rewarded according to the ministries you support—whether good or bad? God takes that into account. If you support a ministry, He considers their work to be your work—whether good or bad.

For example, consider what John says in 2 John:

Look to yourselves, that we do not lose those things we worked for, but that we may receive a full reward (2 John 8).

John is concerned about eternal rewards. He wants to receive a full reward. So he urged his readers to look to themselves, that is, to watch themselves, and guard against the influence of false teachers (v 7), and make sure they were loving and walking according to the commandments (v 6). Why? So that “we,” that is John, would not “lose,” rewards, but “may receive a full reward.”

John’s rewards depended on the faithfulness of his children, of the ministries he helped to found. If they remained faithful and lived lives that were rewardable, then John would receive a full reward. If they didn’t, John would lose out.

God rewards you based on the faithfulness of the ministries you support.

Similarly, in 3 John, the Apostle told Gaius that if he helped the missionaries who came his way and sent them “in a manner worthy of God,” that he would “do well” (3 John 5-6) and would be a “fellow worker for the truth” (3 John 8). That is, by helping the traveling brethren, Gaius himself participated in their work. That work is something that Jesus would evaluate when giving Gaius rewards.

Again, God rewards you based on the faithfulness of the ministries you support.

The danger is that not all ministries are faithful. In 2 John, the Apostle warned against welcoming false teachers. Why?

If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him; for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds (2 John 10-11).

If you support false teachers and false ministries, you share in their evil deeds. Their evil works will become part of your evaluation. If you support a false ministry, you will lose rewards because of it.

Who you support matters, not just now, but eternally. If you support grace ministries, for every earthly withdrawal, you’ll be making a heavenly deposit (cf. Matt 6:20).