Good morning and welcome in everybody. Today, we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture, but before we do that, I wanted to tell you a little story.
Whenever you go to the grocery store, the cash register attendant is getting paid for her time. Whenever you go to the local high school, the teachers are getting paid for their time. Even when you go to the local gas station, a tire mechanic is getting paid for their time.
This reminds me of the Christian Life.
We’re going to take a look at a large passage of scripture today where the Apostle teaches us that those who are ministering God’s Word needed to be taken care of, and you were not supposed to muzzle the ox that treaded out the corn.
1 Corinthians 9:1-14 (KJB) Am I not an apostle? am I not free? have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? are not ye my work in the Lord? If I be not an apostle unto others, yet doubtless I am to you: for the seal of mine apostleship are ye in the Lord. Mine answer to them that do examine me is this, Have we not power to eat and to drink? Have we not power to lead about a sister, a wife, as well as other apostles, and as the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas? Or I only and Barnabas, have not we power to forbear working? Who goeth a warfare any time at his own charges? who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? or who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock? Say I these things as a man? or saith not the law the same also? For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen? Or saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope. If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things? If others be partakers of this power over you, are not we rather? Nevertheless we have not used this power; but suffer all things, lest we should hinder the gospel of Christ. Do ye not know that they which minister about holy things live of the things of the temple? and they which wait at the altar are partakers with the altar? Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel.
Obviously, preaching the Word of God is not done for a paycheck because it’s a free gift of your time to others. I’ve heard some people say, why should you give people the free benefit of your own knowledge? I’ll tell you why,… because you care about them! How many of you dads out there give your own children the free benefit of your knowledge? Why do you do it? Because you love them! The Apostle cared for the church greatly, and even though he might not have received anything from them, it wasn’t going to prevent the mission that he was called by God to do. He knew that God was going to reward him anyway.. Those who are preaching need to be taken care of, just like taking care of your kids or your own parents. That’s what we do in this life is help others like that. There were some people in the church who were really scrutinizing the Apostle Paul but the truth is that if you can’t help a poor brother in need, how is the love of God in them? What happens is they are doing God’s work but people don’t support it. Just like any of the other commandments in scripture, it’s a command of the Lord that those who preach can live off the gospel. But you know what? I think it really turns people away from giving to the work of the church because you have got millionaires standing up behind the podium. This turns a lot of people off because many of the people in the church are poor to begin with! These greedy wolves are actually no different then the covetous Pharisees that Jesus rebuked.
Luke 16:14 (KJB) And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him.
When we give to the work of God, He is going to bless that. I’ve seen that happen in my own life many times. When I became a believer 25 years ago I was very appreciative of men who were out preaching, and willingly gave out of my finances to support what they were doing. I guess you freely give to what you truly love. I don’t want to lose my reward, but one time I gave a fair amount of money to a preacher, and a couple months later I was traveling through a different state and someone left a secret alm of the exact amount of money inside of my Bible on my chair.
Luke 6:38 (KJB) Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.
Paul and the other Apostles were not rich men, by any means, and the money that they would receive from certain churches, they would bring to support other poor people in the church or surrounding areas.
Galatians 2:9-10 (KJB) And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision. Only they would that we should remember the poor; the same which I also was forward to do.
The Apostle taught,…..If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things? Carnal things can be just about anything, a little different than a financial gift which is technically an alm. But a lot of the giving in the church nowadays has been put into the clutches of a few select people who have turned it into a business instead, and that’s not the way it’s supposed to be. Then what happens is the church breaks up and everybody fights over the property like a bunch of covetous and.disobedient kids. The preacher is the one who is supposed to receive the money when it comes in, and he needs to be a man who is frugal enough to do the appropriate things with it. Many people don’t realize it, but ministers will support other ministers too.
2 Timothy 2:6-7 (KJB) The husbandman that laboureth must be first partaker of the fruits. Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things
The wealth and riches that some of these people have obtained is absolutely sickening. Like I said, it makes people not want to give to the things of God because these people are stumblingblocks. Paul was a man who knew how to be content with the little things that he had, because only then can you devote a lot of your time on the things of God. Men such as him needed to be supported, and we must always remember, to never……
…….Muzzle the Ox
Let’s think about these things for right now. We can be found on your web browser by searching, tlkjbc where you can find our diaries distributed through various platforms. We are not associated, nor affiliated with any other religious groups. You can get our entire podcast feeds directly, along with transcripts at tlkjbc.com or I suppose that you could find us somewhere up here, in the Great Northern Minnesota woods. Peace to you all, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody.
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