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In the Part One, I drew attention to how many people wish to see that men of God always appear wretched. Thus, they hate seeing pastors dress decently and drive in relatively nice cars.
One thing people must understand is that when God pulls a person from his profession or business to work for Him in the church, it should not be strange for the church to support him financially or pay him well.
It is true that to be called by God is to be called to serve but God does not call people to serve Him in perpetual poverty. No one can faithfully serve God without being provided with the necessities of life.
Challenges of hardship and difficulty may crop up in the life of the minister as they occurred in the life of Elijah, but God always sees His servants through; He provided for Elijah’s needs (1 Kings 17:8-16).
Peter was doing his fishing business when the Lord Jesus Christ called him; Matthew was doing his accounting work when our Saviour pulled him to follow Him. And interestingly, their needs were provided.
When God pulled Elisha, the son of Shaphat, from his animal rearing business (1 Kings 19:19-21), his ‘church members’ including the Shunammite woman provided his needs (2 Kings 4:8-10).
Have you also considered how God called Amos and pulled him from his farming business to do ministry (Amos 7:14-15)?
So, Paul quoted Deuteronomy 25:4, saying that, “You shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing,” and added that, “The labourer is worthy of his wages.”
Similarly, in 1 Corinthians 9:3-18, Paul had this further explanation to give concerning the issue under discussion. He wrote:
“This is my defence to those who sit in judgment on me. Don’t we have the right to food and drink? …Or is it only I and Barnabas who must work for a living? Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its grapes? Who tends flock and does not drink of the milk? Do I say this merely from a human point of view? Doesn’t the Law say the same thing? For it is written in the Law of Moses: “Do not muzzle the ox while it is treading out the grain. Is it about oxen that God is concerned? Surely he says this for us, doesn’t he? Yes, this was written for us, because when the plow man plows and the thresher threshes, they ought to do so in the hope of sharing in the harvest. If we have sown SPIRITUAL SEED among you, is it too much if we reap a MATERIAL HARVEST from you?” (1 Corinthians 9:3-12).
Paul’s argument continues to verse 18. The point I want you to understand is that it is biblical and doctrinal for a pastor to be adequately supported in either cash or kind to motivate him to do God’s work.
In the ministry of Paul, he decided not to receive much financial support obviously for his personal reasons. But others did receive support.
You must consider the intricacies of the modern financial systems. Christians need to understand this and support their churches and pastors financially.
In his letter to Timothy, Paul said, “Let the elders who perform the duties of their office well be considered doubly worthy of honour and of adequate financial support, especially those who labour faithfully in preaching and teaching” (1 Timothy 5:17, AMP).
The key issue, however, is that every church must have a proper financial management system in place to deal with corrupt practices.
By James Quansah
