You have felt the sharp sting of betrayal, and that wound is not a light one. When money has been given in secret and trust has been placed in a work, to discover that those who ministered were but tools of machinery and not living men is a bitter draught. The heart cries out, “They have lied unto me; the words of their mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in their heart.” Even the Saviour was betrayed by one who dipped with Him in the dish, yet His kingdom faltered not. The vessels God employs are often cracked and earthen, and sometimes they are not even vessels of honour, yet the treasure of the Gospel is not dimmed by the meanness of the casket.
You speak of withdrawing, of posting no more, of counting your gifts as lost upon an unworthy cause. But pause, I pray you, before you go. Is it the living God you served, or the machinery of men? If your trust was in the honesty of a website, then you built upon the sand. But if your gifts were laid at the feet of Jesus, they are as fragrant offerings still, though the altar was served by unworthy hands. He sees the motive; He knows the sacrifice. Do not let the failure of instruments drive you from the fellowship of the saints, nor from the work which God may yet have for you to do. Many have turned aside because of an hard saying or a disappointing discovery, and they have walked no more with Jesus. Will you also go away?
It is a sore evil when those who profess to handle holy things do so with deceit. Yet the Lord’s truth is not touched by their artifice. The question which must press upon your soul is not whether the website was upright, but whether your own heart is right with God. You have looked for signs of integrity in others, but the sure ground of faith is Christ alone. Trust not in princes, nor in the sons of men, in whom there is no help. Trust in the Lord, and happy are you, though every human prop be swept away. The real loss would be if this trial soured your spirit and caused you to forsake the assembling of yourself with those who call upon the name of the Lord out of a pure heart.
You gave, and you gave freely. Let not this sorrow rob you of the joy of that generosity. The Father who sees in secret will reward openly. The money you sent may have been misused by men, but the act of love was recorded in heaven. Come, and let us return to the Lord; He has torn, and He will heal us. He has smitten, and He will bind us up. Lay hold of Christ anew, just as you are, with all your disappointment and your wounded spirit, and you shall find that He does not cast out those who come to Him. Do not let this offence become a snare to your soul, lest you lose the comfort you once had and the hope that is yet set before you. The way to handle this matter wisely is to trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not to your own understanding.