A pastor came to
the breakfast table with a cut on his cheek one Sunday morning. His
wife asked him what happened. He replied that he was concentrating on
his sermon while shaving and cut his face. His wife said, “Maybe
you should concentrate on your shaving and cut the length of your sermons.”
Seriously, being a pastor is not the easiest job in the world. There
seems to be a lot of expectations for a person that gets accused of
only working one day a week. For instance, a pastor, along with being
a preacher, is expected to be a healer, a judge, a social worker, an
entertainer, a salesman, a manager, a planner, a visionary, a peacemaker,
a servant, a counselor, and a biblical scholar. And in the midst of
all these roles, the pastor must stay sweet to those that criticize
him for not doing all these things correctly. In other words, of all
the professions in the world, only a pastor is expected to be perfect.
Have you met the perfect pastor? I came across an article that describes
what many Christians consider to be a perfect pastor.
He preaches for just 20 minutes. He never steps on anybody’s toes.
He works from 8 in the morning until 10 at night, doing everything from
preaching sermons to sweeping the floors. He makes $400 per week, gives
$100 a week to the church, drives a late model car, buys lots of books,
and wears fine clothes. He has a burning desire to work with youth and
spends all his time with senior citizens. He smiles all the time while
keeping a straight face because he has a keen sense of humor that finds
him seriously dedicated. He makes 15 calls a day, spends all his time
evangelizing non-members, and is always found in his study when he is
needed. The article concluded that once there was such a pastor, but
unfortunately, he burnt himself out and died at age 32.
Paul would have been the perfect pastor. But I don’t think he would
ever let the church burn him out. He might burn up for the Lord, but
never become burned out while serving the Lord. That’s because,
as a servant, he understood the rights that a servant of the Lord is
free to expect from his church.
The last 2 weeks we looked at what Paul had to say about Christian freedom.
In the last chapter, Paul drove home the point that love is the principle
that restricts our freedoms. And in ch. 9 Paul is now showing us how
the principle of Christian freedom was worked out in his life. He does
this by giving us a series of rhetorical questions. So this morning,
we are going to look at how these questions show us how Paul put into
practice the priniciples he taught us in ch. 8. Look first at v. 3.
Notice the word “examine.” It comes from a word that describes
the activities of a legal trial. It appears that there were some people
who were calling into question Paul’s right to call himself an
apostle.
Thus, Paul had to prove that he had been called by God to be an apostle.
To these people, Paul says that there is a ton of evidence to prove
that he is an apostle. Even in those days, just like with OJ Simpson,
if it don’t fit, you must acquit.
Let me tell you a true story that illustrates the power of evidence.
I have always loved to go to the movies. However, I object to the high
cost of refreshments sold by the theaters, so sometimes I would sneak
in a snack. Once, before I got saved, I took this girl I was dating
to a movie, and I had her hide a bottle of whisky in her purse. As we
approached the theater entrance, we were stopped by the ticket taker.
He said to her, “I’m sorry, but no outside food allowed.”
“What makes you think I have food from outside?” my girlfriend
asked. “Well, ma’am,” he said, “your purse is leaking.”
She had banged her purse getting out of my truck, and broke the bottle
of whiskey, and the steady steam of whiskey that was coming out of the
bottom of her purse, not to mention the smell, was overwhelming evidence!
In the same way, Paul says that he has evidence that is irrefutable.
His first evidence is his relationship with Jesus Christ--v. 1(a). Paul
is talking about the life-transforming experience he had when he encountered
Jesus Christ on the Damascus Road. While we are all saved “By grace
through faith,” (Ephesians
2:8-9) not many, or for that matter, any of us can claim that we
have seen Jesus with our physical eyes. But because Paul did, he was
called to function within the body of Christ in a way that is different
from the majority of Christians.
Paul was called to be an apostle. And not a little “a” apostle,
like what we would call today a missionary, but a capital “A”
apostle who’s on the same level as Peter & John. The only difference
between Paul and the other capital “A” apostles is that he
is never called one of the 12 apostles.
That’s because to be part of the 12 apostles, you had to have spent
time with the other apostles, and with “The Lord Jesus, beginning
with the baptism of John, until the day that He was taken up to heaven.”
(Acts
1:21-22) Paul didn’t meet this requirement, so he couldn’t
call himself one of the 12. But he could call himself a capital “A”
apostle because he met the 4 qualifications of a capital “A”
apostle.
First of all, he had to have been given a special revelation from God.
Secondly, he had to have seen the risen Jesus. Thirdly, he had to have
been given a divine commission from the risen Jesus. And finally, he
had to have been filled by the Holy Spirit for the specific purpose
of communicating divine truths. We see this when Paul tells what Ananias
said to him a few days after his Damascus Road experience: “The
God of our fathers has appointed you to know His will, and to see the
Righteous One, and to hear an utterance from His mouth. For you will
be a witness for Him to all men of what you have seen and heard.”
(Acts
22:14-15)
The second piece of evidence Paul gives us is the fulfillment of his
divine commission--vv. 1(b)-2. If anyone doubted whether or not Paul
had been called to be an apostle, all they had to do was to look at
those in the church of Corinth who he had led to faith in Jesus Christ.
When Paul came to Corinth, he preached nothing but the death & resurrection
of Jesus. And as the people listened to his words, the Holy Spirit convicted
them of their sins, and they came to faith in Jesus Christ. The Christians
in Corinth were the living proof that God had called him to be an apostle.
We can determine whether or not we have been called into a ministry
by observing how the Lord is using us in the lives of the people we
are ministering to in that ministry. If “you are bearing fruit,
and your fruit is remaining,” (John
15:16) then that is the evidence of our gifting from the Lord for
that ministry. On the other hand, if there is little or no fruit in
the lives of those we are ministering to, then we should realize that
we may not be called to that ministry.
And if not, then we shouldn’t be ashamed to admit that we are not
gifted for that particular ministry. But we can also rest assured that
God will use us in another ministry. All we need to do is wait for his
timing and he will open up the right ministry that he has given us both
the passion & the gifts for.
Some people may doubt whether God has called me to be a pastor. After
all, I occasionally jumble my words, which makes it hard to understand
what I’m saying. I don’t like to wear fancy suits when I preach.
Why, I don’t even follow the rules of preaching that say every
sermon must have 3 points, that all begin with the same letter.
So how can I stand up here and say that God has called me to be a pastor?
Is it because I have a Masters of Divinity degree? No! It’s because
I have my Master’s decree. And the way that I know that God has
called me to be a pastor is seen in the fact that Carol is not the only
member of this church. The fact that y’all are here, and y’all
keep coming back, week after week, is the proof that God has called
me to serve him as a pastor.
Up to this point Paul has made 2 valid points as to why he is an apostle,
and now he starts to explain his rights as an apostle. As I said earlier,
he does this by giving us a series of rhetorical questions. Let’s
look at them.
The first series of questions that Paul asks deal with whether or not
it is wrong for a servant of the church to expect the church to meet
the basic needs of him & his family--vv.4- 6. Now in Paul’s
day, there were 3 basic ways that pagan priests received income. The
first way was to outright charge a fee. The second way was to simply
beg. Or the third way was to work a trade at the same time. Only the
Jews took care of their priests. And even though Paul, at times worked
as a tent-maker, he expected the local church, just like the synagogues
did, to take care of her servants.
But just like in a marriage, false expectations are the leading cause
of a pastor and a church getting a divorce. Here is another true story
I came across that illustrates the danger of unrealistic expecations.
At the end of an interview, the search committee asked the new seminary
graduate what salary he would expect if he were hired. The young pastor
responded confidently, “Including an attractive benefit package,
somewhere in the neighborhood of $100,000.” The search committee
leader replied, “What would you say to 5 paid weeks of vacation,
14 paid holidays, full medical and dental, a retirement fund where we
match 50% of what you put in, and a new red convertible BMW.” The
pastor’s jaw dropped, and he said, “Are you kidding?”
“Of course,” the leader replied. “But you started it!”
Well, one certainly can have the wrong expectations. But Paul expects
the church to rightly compensate her servants for their work. And unfortunately,
most churches don’t do a good job in this area. One of the reasons
that pastors are paid so poorly is that many Christians have believed
what was meant to be a joke.
The joke goes “Lord, you keep our pastor humble, and we’ll
keep him poor.” But you know, I have never met a pastor who has
laughed at that joke. While it may be a funny statement, but in truth,
this mindset has created a lot of animosity between the pastor, his
family, and the church.
Now obviously a pastor shouldn’t go into the ministry with the
idea of getting rich. He should be looking primarily for the eternal
rewards he will receive for faithfully carrying out his calling on earth.
But at the same time the church needs to ensure that their pastor, and
his family, is being financially taken care of.
The second series of questions that Paul asks concerns with whether
or not it is right for a servant of God to work full-time in the ministry--vv.
7-8. Paul expects that those who do God’s work ought to be taken
care of by God’s people. And in doing so, the church is meeting
her responsibility towards those whom God has placed to watch over her.
If you think about it, isn’t this in keeping with the common practice
in other areas of life?
We’d never expect our military to have to buy their own uniforms,
weapons, and bullets before they go out and fight a war. We’d never
expect a farmer to have to buy his own produce at the market. Neither
would we get mad if a dairy farmer drank the milk he got from his own
cows without paying for it.
When you go out to eat, do you get mad that not only does the waiter
gives you the check, but he also expects you to tip him anywhere from
10-15%? Now you might get mad over the amount of the meal, but you don’t
get mad at the waiter for giving you the bill, plus expecting you to
leave a tip. That’s because you know it is right for them to do
so. So if it’s common for a person to be taken care of by those
he serves, shouldn’t it be the responsibility of the church to
take care of the one who serves them?
To get us to see that this is our responsibility, Paul asks the third
series of questions that deal with whether or not this practice is commanded
by God--vv. 9-10. This was a concept that was well documented in Scripture.
Paul first quotes Deuteronomy 25:4 that says that when you are working
the ox, make sure he is fed. God cares so much about oxen that they
are not to be abused, beaten, or mistreated. In fact, they are to be
“paid” for their work.
Let me ask you, don’t you thing that God cares more about us than
he does the oxen? So, Paul argues, if the oxen, who is working for men
are to be paid, shouldn’t the men who working for God be paid as
well? To prove this point, he also uses the Levites & priests as
an example--vv. 13-14. In the Old Testament, God called out men from
the tribe of Levi to serve in the Temple, to be teachers of the Law,
and to be the priests.
To free them up for this work, God said, “The tithe of the sons
of Israel, which they offer as an offering to the Lord, I have given
to the Levites for an inheritance; and from it you shall give the Lord’s
offering to Aaron the priest.” (Numbers
18:22 & 28) Don’t think that just because the illustrations
Paul uses are from the Old Testament that it’s not a valid practice
for the New Testament church. Jesus himself perpetuated this principle
when he sent his disciples out to do the work of the ministry.
Before they left, he said to them: “Heal the sick, cleanse the
lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely
give. Provide neither gold nor silver nor copper in your money belts,
nor bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor staffs; for
a worker is worthy of his food.” (Matthew
10:8-10) In other words, a servant of God is to live a life of faith,
not a life of begging, or poor-mouthing, or even fleecing the flock
for funds. For none of these are tactics that Jesus said his disciples
should use.
So to keep the servants of God from having to use unethical tactics,
the next series of questions deal with whether or not is wrong for a
servant of God, who blesses the people of God with spiritual things,
to expect to get blessed by the people of God with material things--vv.
11-12(a). The reason Paul asks these questions is not to shame them
into paying him, but, it’s to counteract the effects of the charlatans
of his day who were fleecing the flock to line their own pockets. And
these people put quite a show on. They put on a show that would compete
with Barnum & Bailey’s circus. And with all their theatrics,
they of course were very popular, and they had a large following. And
since people like to give money to big, exciting ministries, Christian
workers in Paul’s day were being impoverished, while false prophets
& teachers became rich by receiving money that should have been
given to the church.
People in those days, just like in our day, didn’t realize that
the primary means that God uses to further his kingdom is the church.
So instead of sending your money to the TV evangelist, who plays on
your emotions to get you to sow a financial seed into their ministry,
promising all kinds of blessings & miracles in return, Paul would
say, “Send it to your church instead!” Now I’m not trying
to be unkind to the TV evangelists. For some of them are very sincere.
But some are doing it just to get rich.
So watch out for those who tell you that if you will sow a seed in their
ministry, they will send you something that will show you how to get
rich. Or they promise you that your gift will unlock God’s power
to get healed. Or they guarantee that your seed will ensure that you
get the thing you’re asking God for. I believe Paul would agree
with me in saying that people who use these kind of shameful antics
are nothing more than wolves in sheep’s clothing.
With these reasons for why a church should take care of her servants,
Paul then makes a very profound statement. He has shown us that not
only is it right for a servant of God to expect the Lord’s people
to provide for his needs, but it is also the responsibility of the people
of God to take care of God’s servants. Because of this, Paul believed
he had the freedom to ask the church to support him. And here is where
we see Paul putting into practice the principles he taught us in ch.
8. Paul wouldn’t force his conviction on them if his freedom became
a stumblingblock--vv. 12(b) & 15.
The Greek word used for hinder literally means to dig a hole in the
road to restrict mobility. Paul was willing to restrict this freedom,
he was will to forfeit his pay, so it wouldn’t prevent those Christians
from sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with their family & friends.
He knew that if all the people did was go around and complain that all
that Paul does is beg for money, then they probably would not invite
their family & friends to come to church with them so they can hear
him preach about Jesus.
Since money is such a major stumblingblock to both Christians &
non-Christians, I’m so thankful that we don’t pass an offering
plate. I’m also thankful we don’t beg for money. We may let
you know of our needs, but we also believe the principle that when God
guides, God provides. I believe that this is the principle that Paul
also had.
While Paul thought that there is nothing wrong with being paid for doing
ministry, he also acknowledges that if by getting paid he hinders the
gospel, then he will do it for free. This shows us the heart Paul had
towards his calling. He was willing to do what God wanted him to do,
whether he got paid or not. That certainly is a good way for all pastors
to test their motivations for preaching. Would they still do it if they
didn’t get paid?
I’ve heard stories of preachers, who if the offering isn’t
large enough, they will keep on preaching until it gets to the amount
they think it should be. I heard of one pastor who would follow after
the offering plate, pull out the check, and if it wasn’t enough,
he would publicly rebuke the person for not giving at least a tenth
of their income. How would you like it if I did either one of those
2 things?
As much as I love being a pastor, the only thing I hate is having to
get paid. One time I was invited to preach at a revival service a church
was putting on. But before I started to preach, they passed the plates
to take up a love offering for me. And they put the plates on the altar,
right in front of the pulpit. For some reason I couldn’t quit glancing
down at the plates. I felt so bad, because I kept thinking that someone
was going to notice me looking at the money, and instead of listening
to what I had to say, they’d be thinking, “I knew he was just
here for the cash.”
I hope none of you think I’m here just for the cash. Trust me,
I wish I was independently wealthy so none of your tithes & offering
would have to go towards taking care of me. But on the other hand, if
the church became financially unable to support me, I’m not going
to quit and go somewhere else. I’ll just go find an outside job
so I can keep on being your pastor. The truth of the matter is that
you can’t pay me enough to preach, nor can you pay me too little
to quit preaching. That’s because my philosophy of ministry is
not, “Show me the money!”
I look at what you pay me, not as a paycheck, but as an act of love
that flows from your heart. I believe you love me so much that you are
willing to go to work, so part of what you give to the church, can be
used to pay me, so I can stay home. You free me up to stay home so I
can study God’s Word, so I can stand up here, properly prepared
to give you the spiritual food you need to strengthen your spiritual
body. Also, I know that you want me to be there for you through those
crisis times of your life, like illnesses, deaths, and marital &
family problems. So, I thank you for you support. And as long you continue
to love me, I’ll continue to keep on loving you, and keep on feeding
you from the full counsel of God’s Word.
Let me conclude by saying that I hope all of you want to do whatever
needs to be done in order for this church to fulfill her mission. This
means that we have to be faithful in the giving of our tithes &
offerings, so not only can we pay those who serve this church, but so
the church can also have the resources we need to effectively get the
gospel out. And if we truly believe that the Lord is using this church
to fulfill this mission, then we need to agree that we will never let
money become an issue that the enemy can use to destroy what God is
doing in this fellowship.
Let’s
pray
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