I used to struggle with the idea of pastors and preachers getting “paid” for their services. I used to think that because the gospel is free, then those presenting the gospel should do it for free. I even felt strange about paying Christian artists and authors for their music and books. I thought they might be using Christianity as a marketing gimmick; a method of making money off of a very specific, sensitive and passionate audience; an audience who is so hungry for God that they are quick to shell out loads of cash to experience more of him and to learn more about him. But Paul helped me to adjust my thinking about such things. He said in First Corinthians, chapter 9, verses 7, 11 and 14:
“Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat its grapes? Who tends a flock and does not drink the milk? (verse 11) If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you? (and verse 14) In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.”
Paul is clear. He said, “the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel”; that if they have sown spiritual seeds among you, is it too much if they reap a material harvest from you? I can attest that over the years, my pastors have sown spiritual seeds in my heart. The words that God speaks through them has helped correct me, teach me, and encourage me. The passion that they bring to the pulpit and the hours they spend pouring over the Bible is distilled in a way that is relatable is powerful. And when we pay our tithes; once we put our money into the offering plate it is no longer ours, it is Gods. And it is God’s plan that those who preach the gospel should be compensated. They should receive their living from the gospel. Most believers don’t have a problem with this model. But others may. It could even be a stumbling block to those who are seeking God. To them, I would say that we need to read, and understand, the words of Paul. When God calls believers to give their lives to the mission and ministry of preaching the gospel in a powerful and effective way, they do not have time to earn a living apart from the ministry. And the Bible reminds us that they shouldn’t have to.
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“The Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.” Though this is true, and I no longer struggle with the concept of pastors being paid to preach the gospel, it can still be a stumbling block for me. I’ve said it before and I still hold to this line of thinking, that money always muddies my perception of someone’s motives. Because I can find myself asking questions like, “are they doing what they are doing only because they are getting paid to do it?” “Would they choose to volunteer their time, like they ask the congregation to do, if they weren’t getting compensated?” “Is pastoring just a job to them?” “What are their motives?” When believers evangelize or use their talents for free, I never question their motives. In fact, their motives are crystal clear because they are doing the work of the Lord without getting anything in return. But God has given us a pattern to follow. Paul said that, “the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.” So if you struggle at all with this command, I challenge you, as I challenge myself, to trust God’s plan. Regardless of their motives, God can use them as a vessel to train, encourage and correct us. Even still, we should always practice spiritual discernment like the Bereans did, who when Paul preached, “examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.”
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