Dave Black has a really good article here . Below is an excerpt:
I wish you could read every word of it. I especially enjoyed his conclusion:
Let’s show our love for the world by loving them, visiting them, helping them, praying for them, ministering to them FREELY. Only then will they truly know the love of Jesus.
Why not live like Paul? Why not work with our own hands while using the gifts God has given us to share the good news with others? Why not care for our own needs without being a burden to others or the church of God?
Bingo! Every member of Christ’s Body is a minister. Every function is a ministry. This means, as Nathan implies, that all Christians are to be known by one word: servant. This service to others is an obligation, not an option. The Bible teaches the priesthood of all believers, and not merely a few.
Then I turned over to my good brother Alan Knox. He has an Article called “Acts 20 and salaries for pastors” Below is an excerpt:
In the third part of Paul’s speech, he once again reminds the elders of his manner of living while he was among them. Then, in the fourth part of the speech, he again instructs the elders concerning how they should live after he departs and the reasons for this:
And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. I coveted no one’s silver or gold or apparel. You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities and to those who were with me. In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ (Acts 20:32-35 ESV)
Notice that Paul begins by pointing out his own practices. When he lived in Ephesus, he says that he did not desire anyone’s money (silver or gold). Paul is very specific that he worked “with his hands” (and apparently a different kind of work than the previous work that he said he did ‘in public and house to house’ – Acts 20:18-21) so that he could provide for himself and other people who were with him. In fact, Paul said that they were witnesses to how hard he worked with his hands in order to support himself.
Then, Paul turns his example around. He tells them, “In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak…” The phrase translated “we must” is usually translated “one must” or “it is necessary”. In other words, Paul is saying to these elders from Ephesus that it is necessary for them to work hard with their hands like he did so that they will be able to help those who cannot support themselves.
Paul did not expect these elders to receive financial support from others. Instead, he expected them to work so hard (in the same manner that he worked) that they would be able to support themselves and others too. Remember, Paul’s example for them was that he had worked hard enough to financial support himself and others. He reminded them of his example, and told them that it was necessary for them to do the same thing.
I think both Brother David and Alan bring up some good points. What are your thoughts?
Great Post. You are stepping on some toes with this one:) I think it would be an awesome testimony to the world to see pastors working hard so that they are able to provide for themselves and others. I am sick to death of the the role of the pastor being seen as a lucrative career. It seems as though once people began to see how much pastors were banking by manipulating the people all of a sudden everyone and their daddy was “called” to preach. I think pastors who don’t work to provide for themselves can become very condescending when members talk about what they go through day-to-day because they have the luxury of staying in an office and blogging all day…and other stuff too.
I may be wrong for saying that and I know that there are pastors out there who are the exception but why does a pastor need to be in the ministry full time? Especially if he isn’t going out in the community in neighborhoods that aren’t his usual comfort zone or just seems to be way too comfortable with doing nothing all week except putting together a sermon that takes 45 minutes at the most to deliver. Don’t get me wrong I respect the office of pastor and I am speaking from my experiences.
However, I believe that people no longer see the pastor as a servant leader and so since they aren’t getting “paid” they don’t want to serve anybody. It’s just a hard pill for me to swallow when I give money and know that it’s going to provide a salary for the pastor and could’ve been put to better use.
A pastor who gets paid a salary may want people to remain infants because if people grow spirituality and begin to go out spreading the gospel then that reduces the churches funds and the pastors salary. A definite conflict of interest. That’s my two cents.
Shatoyia!,
Ouch!!! I think you bring up some good points. I would disagree on the sermon prepration. I think MacArthur puts upward to 36 hours on a sermon, not including prayer. I think there are problems with that while it only should take the reading of scripture, prayer and then allowing all to particpate as the Lord leads. But many will disagree with me.
Not to mention if we equip all the saints to function as the priest and minister they are maybe I can be free to work a job because I wouldn’t have to all of the visiting, all of the sermon “prep”, all of the praying and all of the organizing, defninitely not all of the vision casting. Teach the saints the function so that the Church can be full of ministers.
Lionel,
I wasn’t talking about the preparation but the actual preaching of the sermon:) I agree with the rest of your comment though. I know in the past I have been guilty of depending on the pastor for everything but I now have a better understanding of the duties of a pastor and how everyone has a role collectively; not just the pastor.
By the way, you know Johnny Mack and JP are two of the exceptions..LOL
Brother Lionel,
We need to put things in perspective.While there is the priesthood of the whole Church,there certainly are,and will always be full time clergy.
What do you think Paul was saying when he quoted approvingly the Scripture that an ox should not be muzzled while it treads the mill?Simply,he was saying that he deserved to be paid by the Corinthians for his missionary work among them.He indeed was upbraiding them for failing to support him in cash and kind.
Paul was a part time tent maker.And was maintained by remittances from Macedonia.Whether these were monetary or non-monetary is beside the point.I do not imagine that Paul went to the market and was given free food by the market women.
Full time clergy will always be a minority numerically.They should be supported by the Church.The part time clergy may need our support,as appropriate.Volunteers who have full-time day jobs would not normally be remunerated,but sometimes may be paid.For example,instrumentalists are usually paid in Nigerian churches-they are few and hard to find.
Tunji,
Paul is a traveling Apostle, who for the most part was an aggressive Church planter, moving from city to city in weeks, months and sometimes (rarely) years. For more of what I would think on such a topic here is a couple of good posts for you to read then let me know what you think.
http://www.alanknox.net/2008/10/1-corinthians-9-and-salaries-for.html
http://www.alanknox.net/2008/10/acts-20-and-salaries-for-pastors.html
Tentmaking’s time has truly come. Still, there is nothing amiss in financially supporting a Christian teacher:
Galatians 6:6 Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things.