Paying Your Pastor
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
An Example
1 Corinthians 8 examined the freedoms that Christians have in disputable matters, with Paul encouraging Christians to exercise their freedom:
In a way that demonstrates love for God and love for others.
In a way that is glorifying to the name of Christ.
In a way that helps others grow in Christ.
Paul ends chapter 8 by reminding Christians not to use their freedoms in a way that would cause someone else to stumble.
In order to practically apply what this looks like, Paul gives an example from his personal life about choosing to reject material support for the sake of the Gospel.
At no time in this passage is a pastor’s right to support called into question.
1 Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord? 2 If to others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you; for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.
Pay your pastor because …
I. He Was Sent to You, and Your Spiritual Growth is the Evidence of His Calling (vv. 1-2)
I. He Was Sent to You, and Your Spiritual Growth is the Evidence of His Calling (vv. 1-2)
As Paul sets the stage for this example, he begins with a series of rhetorical questions that the Corinthians should be able to agree with.
I Have the Same Rights
Transitioning to his application by way of personal example, Paul establishes he too has the same freedom the Corinthians have.
Paul is free to serve Christ in any way.
Called as an Apostle
In 1 Corinthians 1:1, Paul begins his letter to the church in Corinth by saying, “Paul, called as an apostle …”
Apostle means “one sent by God.”
Two requirements for a New Testament Apostle:
Personally saw the resurrected Jesus Christ
In Acts 9, we read about the “Damascus Road Experience”
Paul was traveling to Damascus to hunt down Christians and persecute them.
On the way there, Paul experienced a blinding light and witnessed the resurrected Christ.
In Acts 1, Luke records that after Jesus had rose from the dead, He presented Himself to the disciples in convincing ways.
Sent out on mission by Him
In Acts 9, God tells Ananias that Paul is His chosen instrument to “bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel.”
15 But I have written very boldly to you on some points so as to remind you again, because of the grace that was given me from God, 16 to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles, ministering as a priest the gospel of God, so that my offering of the Gentiles may become acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
In Acts 1, Luke records that before Jesus ascended to heaven, He left His apostles with marching orders:
8 but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”
This means there are no more “capital A” Apostles today, because there is no one today who has seen the resurrected Christ.
There are men today who have the gift of apostleship, meaning they haven’t seen the resurrected Christ, but they have been directly sent by God for a specific purpose.
In verse 2, Paul goes on to explain the evidence for this calling.
The Evidence
The church in Corinth was a portion of Paul’s “work in the Lord” as a “minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles”
The evidence of this fact is not dependent on the Corinthian’s, or anyone else’s, opinion of Paul.
We already talked about how the Corinthians viewed Paul as a lackluster preacher.
In 2 Corinthians we read that some are questioning Paul’s authority.
For Paul, their opinions of him are irrelevant in terms of affirming his calling.
For Paul, the proof — the seal — of his calling is the Corinthian Christians themselves.
A seal is used to authenticate an action.
When a king would send messengers out with his orders, he would stamp the order with his seal validating what was being proclaimed.
The proof of Paul’s apostleship — his specific mission from Jesus Christ — is that a group of Christians exist in Corinth!
Corinth was the 1st century Las Vegas — godless, pagan, sexually immoral, promiscuous, etc. You name it, it was happening in Corinth.
Paul travels there to preach the Gospel of a crucified Messiah so that humanity may find true life in Jesus Christ, and lives are radically transformed.
Pay Your Pastor …
Because he was sent to you
I have yet to meet a pastor who “wanted” to be a pastor.
My story goes like this:
God told me to be a pastor
I didn’t want to be a pastor
Like Jonah, I tried to run
God’s will ultimately prevailed
Pastors don’t choose their calling. God, by His grace, chooses individuals to be His ministers.
Those follow this calling do so not because they “want to,” but because they are compelled to. Paul speaks about this later in this chapter when he says:
16 For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for I am under compulsion; for woe is me if I do not preach the gospel.
Because there is evidence of his calling
If someone is called by God, there will be evidence of that calling.
A church that is growing, not numerically, but spiritually, is evidence of a pastor’s calling.
3 My defense to those who examine me is this: 4 Do we not have a right to eat and drink? 5 Do we not have a right to take along a believing wife, even as the rest of the apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas?
Pay your pastor because …
II. Through You God Supplies His and His Family’s Daily Needs (vv. 3-5)
II. Through You God Supplies His and His Family’s Daily Needs (vv. 3-5)
A Defense
If anyone questions whether Paul has this right (as some clearly do in the future and possibly now), he challenges them by asking two questions:
Don’t we have the right to eat and drink?
Don’t we have the right to bring our families with us?
In other words, don’t we have the right to have our basic needs covered? And don’t we have the right to have our family’s basic needs covered?
How Should the Church Respond?
Each person in the church has their own opinion
Some people think it should be the bare minimum
Some people think it should be above and beyond
There’s around 60 people in here. If I were to ask what you think I should get paid as a pastor, I would probably get 60 different numbers.
Every circumstance is different
A church in a third world country will not be able to financially support their pastor in the same way a church in America can.
A church of 50 people will not be able to support their pastor the same way a church of 500 can.
So what is the amount?
Generously Support Your Pastor
In one of his letters to a young pastor named Timothy Paul writes this:
17 The elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching.
In other words, those whom God has called to serve you, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching, support them well, whatever that means for each church in each situation.
Considered worthy means a church recognizes and values the work of their pastor, even if they couldn’t support it in the way they wished.
A Generous Church
Faith Bible Fellowship has been incredibly generous and supportive of myself and my family since the day we arrived.
This message should not be viewed as a rebuke or condemnation.
6 Or do only Barnabas and I not have a right to refrain from working? 7 Who at any time serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat the fruit of it? Or who tends a flock and does not use the milk of the flock?
Pay your pastor because …
III. It Allows Him to Wholly Devote Himself for Your Benefit (vv. 6-7)
III. It Allows Him to Wholly Devote Himself for Your Benefit (vv. 6-7)
In verse 5, Paul establishes that the other apostles, the brothers of Jesus, and Peter have a right to support for their ministry, so why not he and Barnabas?
Later Paul will explain why he chose to give up this right, but he still has that right.
Why should a church honor this right?
Undivided Attention
Every person should be able to give their undivided attention to their work. Paul uses three examples to apply this to pastors:
The soldier does not serve at his own expense.
The vinedresser reaps the benefits of his crop.
The shepherd reaps the benefits of his flock.
In other words, a person should expect to earn a living from their work.
Why is this important?
Because if a person does not receive a living from their work, their attention is automatically divided elsewhere.
When a country sends soldiers to war, they expect their undivided attention on the task at hand. One of the ways this is accomplished is by making sure they aren’t serving at their own expense.
Their travel abroad is covered.
Their family is taken care of back home.
They are supplied with the necessary weapons and gear to carry out the mission.
There’s a movie called Act of Valor that creates a fictional story of real life Navy SEAL missions, and the actors in the movie were played by members of the SEAL teams.
There’s a scene toward the beginning where the team members and their families are having a bonfire before their mission, and the team leader pulls all the guys aside and asks them if anything needs to be taken care of before they leave.
They needed to know when they were out in the field together that they were laser focused on the mission, not thinking about how their wife was going to pay for rent back home.
A vinedresser (or a farmer) takes the time to make sure everything is right for what he planted.
He makes sure the seeds are planted properly.
He ensures the crop receives the correct sunlight and water.
He supplies extra nutrients to supplement the growth of the plant.
He is able to supply his undivided attention to his work because he knows when the harvest comes, he will either be able to eat the produce for himself or sell it and earn a living.
The shepherd cares for his sheep.
He lives out in the field with his sheep.
He protects the sheep.
He feeds the sheep.
The shepherd is able to give his undivided attention because he knows he can either be nourished by the milk or sell it and earn a living.
The pastor
When we first came to candidate at this church, one of the questions asked was, “Do you want to work full-time or part-time?”
My answer was full-time, and the reason I gave was this:
You want me as your pastor to be able to give my undivided attention to this ministry that the Lord has called me to.
Practical Examples
The pastor as a solider
Ministry is a war. It’s a war not only for the pastor, it’s a war for his family.
The pastor as a vinedresser
Ministry is a time of providing nurturing with the expectation of seeing growth.
The pastor as a shepherd
One of my favorite verses comes from 1 Peter:
1 Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, 2 shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; 3 nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock. 4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.
Recognize as Christians that your Shepherd is the Chief Shepherd, Jesus Christ. Pastors are called to shepherd voluntarily, eagerly, and as examples under the authority of Jesus Christ.
As Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, and the Word of God guide and direct, a pastor is called to lead, feed, and protect the flock that God has entrusted to them.
The Point
In every one of these examples, the work can’t be left alone.
The soldier can’t leave the battlefield.
The vinedresser can’t leave his crops.
The shepherd can’t leave his sheep.
The pastor can’t leave the flock entrusted to him.
The way this is possible is churches who generously provide for their pastor in a way that allows him to support himself and his family, and give his undivided attention to the service God has called him to.
8 I am not speaking these things according to human judgment, am I? Or does not the Law also say these things? 9 For it is written in the Law of Moses, “You shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing.” God is not concerned about oxen, is He? 10 Or is He speaking altogether for our sake? Yes, for our sake it was written, because the plowman ought to plow in hope, and the thresher to thresh in hope of sharing the crops. 11 If we sowed spiritual things in you, is it too much if we reap material things from you? 12 If others share the right over you, do we not more? Nevertheless, we did not use this right, but we endure all things so that we will cause no hindrance to the gospel of Christ. 13 Do you not know that those who perform sacred services eat the food of the temple, and those who attend regularly to the altar have their share from the altar? 14 So also the Lord directed those who proclaim the gospel to get their living from the gospel.
Pay your pastor because …
IV. Scripture Teaches It and Jesus Commanded It (vv. 8-14)
IV. Scripture Teaches It and Jesus Commanded It (vv. 8-14)
Not My Opinion
Paul’s perspective on this is not his opinion, but is formed from Scripture.
Referencing Deuteronomy 25:4, Paul quotes an OT law:
4 “You shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing.
The Israelites would use oxen to thresh grain in a circle. Some would muzzle the ox, preventing it from eating and “wasting” any of the grain.
God commanded the Israelites not to muzzle an ox, allowing it both to eat from its work, and be sustained to keep working.
God cares about oxen, but the true application of the Law is for human beings: that those who work should receive compensation for their work.
A Right We Did Not Use
The Corinthians supported others (e.g., Apollos, maybe Peter)
Paul recognizes this right, but says they deserve it even more, for it was through Paul’s calling that the Corinthians came to know Christ.
However, Paul chose to reject this right, so that there would be no hindrance to the gospel.
In other words, “I chose not to be supported by you so that no one could say I was putting a price on God’s freely given gift.
Just in case the Corinthians still doubt, Paul shows the same principle that is practiced for those who work in the temple.
The Jews were commanded by God to sacrifice in the temple.
The priests who served in the temple received a portion of the sacrifices so that they might be sustained.
Even in pagan societies (like Corinth) priests received a portion of the offerings that were brought into the temple.
Whether Jews or Greeks, Paul’s example would be clearly understood.
In the same way, the Jesus commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living from the gospel.
How to Pay Your Pastor
You should pay your pastor because:
They are sent by God to you
Through you, God supplies his and his family’s daily needs
It allows him to wholly devote his time to his ministry
Because Scripture and Jesus command it
But how should a church pay their pastor? How much should they pay their pastor?
A church should pay their pastor well (1 Timothy 5:17), and “well” is determined by the capabilities and circumstances of the congregation.
More importantly, a church should pay their pastor cheerfully
6 Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed;
