Paul
the apostle asked the church members in Corinth if they knew, “that
they which minister about holy things live of the things of the
temple?”
In chapter nine and verse fourteen of
First Corinthians, Paul told
the Corinthians, “they which preach
the gospel should live of the gospel”
where we read:
Even
so has the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should
live of the gospel.
The
verse begins, “Even
so has the Lord ordained ...” Paul
began with the words, “Even so”
which means “in this manner also and indeed” “has
the Lord” or
“he to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has power of
deciding; master and the title given to God the Messiah”
“ordained”
which means “arranged, appointed, prescribed and gave order”.
“The Lord” “arranged”
for the following principle concerning remuneration for “ministers”.
The
verse goes on to say, “...
that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel..
Paul
continued with the words, “that they
which preach”
which means “those who announce, declare, promulgate, make known
and publish” “the gospel”
which means “the good news and glad tidings of the kingdom of God
soon to be set up and subsequently also of Jesus the Messiah who is
the founder of this kingdom” “should
live”
which means “are to breathe, enjoy and have true life” “of
the gospel”
or “out from the glad tidings of the kingdom of God soon to be set
up, and subsequently also of Jesus the Messiah, the founder of this
kingdom”. Those who “minister”
the “gospel of Jesus Christ” are to receive from the offerings
that are given to support it.
When
we think through these words from Paul, we see clearly his purpose
for giving the examples and exhortations concerning “supporting”
“ministers”. Since “ministers” “preach the
gospel”, they are to receive from the offerings given. Jesus
Christ takes care of those who “preach the gospel”, and He
uses the church to do so. Remuneration must be kept in balance and
should not be abused by the “minister” or the “church
members”, and when employed properly, it not only blesses them
both, but the “gospel of Jesus” goes forth without
reproach.
Next
time Paul tells the church members, “I
have used none of these things”,
so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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