One of the most powerful things you can do today to help the persecuted church is not donating money, but spending money – cash that is.

It might be hard to believe, but spending money – real CA$H money – might be the single best thing that you can do to help the persecuted church.

Here’s how.

Sending mission funds into closed nations is growing more and more difficult. Why? Because banks are tightly controlling transactions. In the last 20 years, banks have gone from begging for our business, to today being a part of the governing body that demands control over the way we live our lives. They have done this largely by pushing for a cashless society.

You can help missionaries in closed countries by spending cash and defending the use of cash!

Cashless societies, though convenient, have more oversight over the financial activities of citizens. They see what citizens buy, when they buy, how they buy, and how often. Every transaction is recorded… and controlled. Cash is too anonymous. Too many things can be purchased without government oversight; that is why governments are pushing so hard to eliminate it. You can show your support by continuing to use cash, as well as actively pushing against social pressure to adopt a cashless society.

It is not easy. Living cash-free is more convenient, but the longer cash is a legal tender, the longer BTJ can continue to support projects in nations where they are illegal. Christian activities like Bible printing, missionary support, Bible training, etc, are illegal in most of the nations between China and Jerusalem. They cannot be legally supported, so funding is brought in illegally.

Only ten years ago, it was no problem to withdraw $100,000 USD from a bank account in Asia, put it into a suitcase, and smuggle it across the border to missionaries in China, but those days are long gone.

Now, the smuggling operations are a lot more complicated.

Oddly enough, it is not the banks in closed countries that has caused the problem. Instead, it is the American banking system that has caused the biggest problems for missionaries. It is the European banking measures to prevent ‘terrorism’ and ‘money laundering.’

The western world unleashed massive banking regulations in the name of “anti-terrorism.” Instead of catching terrorists, it did more to stop the Gospel from going into closed countries.

It is not often that Christian missionaries find themselves on the same side of liberals, but in the state of New York, it is now illegal for businesses to refuse customer payments in cash. Businesses that refuse to take cash for payment from customers are fined.

Besides government control, businesses like Visa and Mastercard are clear beneficiaries of going cashless, enjoying $138 billion earnings in service fees alone each year. Tech companies providing cashless payment services, clearly profiting from users’ personal data and financial transaction profiles.

Businesses increase their prices to cover their costs for using the digital payment system fees, which make products more expensive.

Cashless societies are also unfair to the poor and homeless who might have bad credit, no home address, no job, and have problems securing a credit card or bank account with favorable rates. They are automatically excluded from the market place in a cashless society.

Cash is not outdated, not yet anyway. Your help is needed. Continue to use cash. Continue pushing against government regulations that propose cashless societies.

Here is a story that shows the importance of cash:

Cash is important!

Why should we pay cash everywhere we can with bank notes instead of a credit card?

• I have a $50 banknote in my pocket.
• I go to a restaurant and pay for dinner with my $50.
• The restaurant owner then uses the bill to pay for the laundry.
• The laundry owner then uses the bill to pay the barber.
• The barber will then use the bill for shopping.

After an unlimited number of payments, it will still remain a $50, which has fulfilled its purpose to everyone who used it for payment and the bank has jumped dry from every cash payment transaction made…

• But if I come to a restaurant and pay digitally – credit card
• Card and bank fees for my payment transaction charged to the seller are 3%, so around $1.50
• Card and bank fees for laundry = $1.50
• Card and bank fees for barber = $1.50

After 30 such transactions, the $50 dwindles down to only $5 in value, with $45 of it becoming the property of the bank and card companies.

Using cash not only helps missions, but it helps secure privacy and maintain value of hard-earned money.

Today, financially supporting mission activities in China is a lot more complicated than it has ever been in the history of Christianity and prayers are needed!