Pay The Preacher!

1 Cor 9:7-14

Almost every church has an ongoing battle between the ministers and the elders. Ministers feel they should be paid what they are worth … and so do the elders! Now, I felt like this chapter required 2-3 weeks of in depth study, and the elders thought a quick mention would suffice.

Seriously, I want to thank the elders and this congregation for providing the support I need to minister to our community without having to take another job and all it’s distractions.

PRAYER

I. Preacher and Pay

A. Ministers need to be supported

1. There are some churches that don’t believe you should pay the minister to do his role in the church.

a) They believe all the members should be involved in ministry.

b) I would agree with that assessment except that it doesn’t really work in our culture.

c) Most of the Mutual Edification churches are very small.

2. Other churches believe that ministers should only receive the minimum amount necessary.

B. This scripture is quite clear that the minister should be paid a living wage

1. Paul uses several examples they would understand

a) Soldiers are paid by the state

b) workers in the vineyard get to eat the grapes at harvest as well as being paid.

c) Shepherd even get some of the milk as well as being paid.

2. He also uses arguments from the Jewish Law

a) Moses says let the Oxen eat while they thresh the grain.

b) If God wants the oxen properly taken care of for their work, shouldn’t the servant of God be properly taken care of for their work?

c) Then he refers to the workers in the temple who were taken care of by the sacrifices people offered.

3. With the Modern church things are more complicated.

a) We have for better or worse a professional ministry

b) Men who work with specific congregations rather than a region they travel through.

c) Ministers today have more education than ever before as well as do the members they preach and teach to.

d) And in the modern church, the minister usually has to spend more time as an administrator and counselor than in actual ministry and sermon preparation.

e) they are usually expected to portray a certain image to the community they minister in.

f) With those demands, a minister needs to have to support available to him to concentrate on ministry not on holding down 1-2 other jobs to pay the bills and take care of his family.

II. Keep focused on God

A. Paul goes on to say that he and Barnabas chose not to receive support from congregations. Why?

B. READ vs 15-18

C. They were willing to barely subsist to make sure the funds were available to get the gospel message out.

D. Most ministers know that they are not in ministry for the money.

1. They sacrifice more for a church than most members are ever aware of and do so willingly because they want the cause of Christ to be advanced.

2. Almost everything a minister does in life is decided upon by what impact will that decision have on the cause of Christ.

3. Every move they make to another community where they know absolutely no one is based on whether or not they can make a difference for Christ in that community.

4. They aren’t in it for the money, they minister because God has called them to live their whole lived focused on getting the gospel to wherever they are ministering.

E. Sometimes I get envious of my contemporaries who are making so much more than I am.

1. But then I realize I am doing what I love most.

2. Also, what I am doing will have an eternal impact on so many around me.

3. No amount of money can buy the feeling of knowing I have touched so many lives for God.

F. Most ministers are like Paul, they feel compelled to preach no matter what.

1. I have tried twice in my life to leave the ministry, but God had other plans.

2. I understand what Paul says about feeling compelled to preach!

3. A good friend of mine is about to give up a very high paying job to go into ministry. In fact, he and his wife made $130,000 last year. I asked him why he was doing that when he seemed so well set financially. His response, “I just have this burning feeling and desire that I should be in the ministry. I want to follow God’s desire even if I have to give up that kind of security.”

4. That’s compelled to preach!

III. Running for the Crown

A. Self discipline

1. READ vs 24-27

a) During the Greek and Roman times men competed in various athletic events to win a crown made of grass. In Corinth they hosted an athletic event second only to the Olympics.

b) Every citizen understood the disciple it took to be one of those elite athletes who won the crown.

2. In ministry, we need to be self disciplined.

a) We need to stay focused on what really matters and not let all the “other stuff” keep us from fulfilling our duty to God.

b) The crown we receive isn’t one that withers away, but lasts forever.

B. My treatise on paying the preacher

1. A minister should be driven to serve God not get rich.

2. Also, a church should take care of him and his family so he can serve God.

3. When both are focused on God a great and productive relationship is formed and the cause of Christ is proclaimed much more effectively.