Stewardship - Giving God Every Part of You
May God’s grace and the wisdom from above guide us today!
Today we continue to hear what the Apostle Paul says to us about the laborer being worthy of his hire. Paul has addressed this issue in the past in other situations, and we hear him give more direction to us today.
I am not just asserting these things according to human judgment, am I? Or does the Law not say these things as well? For it is written in the Law of Moses: “YOU SHALL NOT MUZZLE THE OX WHILE IT IS THRESHING.” God is not concerned about oxen, is He? Or is He speaking entirely for our sake? Yes, it was written for our sake, because the plowman ought to plow in hope, and the thresher to thresh in hope of sharing in the crops. 1 Corinthians 9:8-10
He will address the same issue when writing to the young pastor Timothy concerning his service in the church. To Timothy he says, For the Scripture says, "YOU SHALL NOT MUZZLE THE OX WHILE HE IS THRESHING," and "The laborer is worthy of his wages." (1 Timothy 5:18)
So, what is the issue? Paul will spend over half of this chapter addressing fair wages for those who serve in the Lord’s ministry. Why would this be such an issue? The reason is that money is the one thing which can destroy a church and ministry faster than anything else in this world.
There are multiple reasons for this, so let me share a few. First, Paul tells Timothy, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and by craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains” (1 Timothy 6:10). Money itself is only a tool, but when the human heart craves it, what began as a tool becomes an obsession in a life. There are those who have actually said that a preacher should be poor so as to keep him humble. Many churches have followed this logic and thousands of wonderful servants of God have suffered, not to mention their families.
There are others who use the church as a means to obtain wealth. Many notable TV evangelist come to mind. They have traded their integrity and fidelity to God for the proverbial gold ring. Scripture is twisted, misinterpreted, or outright denied in order to bully people into donating to their cause. Sadly, once donations are made, the lion share is used for selfish reason.
This does not simply happen in the church. Many non-profits which began or came from religious backgrounds have been found to solicit millions of dollars in donations and use only a fraction for the publicized purpose of their organization. Their CEOs and directors make million dollar salaries, while the people they claim to serve suffer.
This greed for money is not limited only to the clergy. I read a story recently of a woman who served as the treasurer in a church who embezzled just shy of $600,000 dollars through manipulating the church finances. Tragically, this happens far too often.
What is Paul’s message to his readers and to us? If a person works in the Lord’s ministry, then that same ministry should provide what is needed for that person’s life. As I said last week, the standard rule of thumb should be that the preacher is paid what would be counted as the average income of the people whom he serves.
Now the point we need to understand is this! This is not a mere suggestion on the part of the Apostle Paul. When he wrote these words, and others like them, he was doing so under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. This Word is the Word of God! It is given by God to be taken to heart by the people of God. We do not have the freedom nor do we have any right to set aside God’s clear Word and replace it with what we desire to see happen. We are to humble ourselves before the truth of God and be obedient.
One part of this equation is for each individual Christian to examine his or her own heart and answer the question, “What do I love most? The clear Word of God or my bank account? Will I covet money, or will I covet the blessings of God?” We have all but lost the proper understanding of Biblical Stewardship. The Old Testament people were commanded to give 10% to the Lord. It was the first-fruits of all God had provided to be a blessing to them. I know of people who make thousands of dollars a month and who put pittance in the offering of their church. They seek to gain for themselves while dishonoring the one who provides all the blessings they have received.
The place for a Christian to start with Stewardship is with a bowed head and an open heart. If your heart is not filled with gratitude for all God has done for you and all He has provided for you beginning with the forgiveness of sins made possible by Christ’s cross, then you have lost sight of the value of your own salvation. If you are not moved to offer all you are and all you have in joyful response to the grace of God in your life, then you need to take a long hard look at yourself in the mirror of God’s Word.
With a yielded heart and eyes open wide to see the will of God, ask Him what your offering to His ministry should be! I would humbly suggest that 10% is the baseline for all Christians. It should be the place we start our discussion with God, and then see where He would take us from there.
I will close by telling you of a man I was privileged to know in my past. This man served our country all his life as a soldier. He rose to a high rank and upon retirement settled down in a small town in Texas to live out his golden years. His retirement, after many years of service, was $50,000 per year. This elderly man loved the Lord, and he sought to serve Him in every way possible throughout his life. This elderly gentlemen made the decision to contribute ½ of his annual salary to God. He supported his local church as well as several missionaries around the world. This man’s generosity opened the way for thousands of people to hear the Good News of Jesus. He was a humble man who placed the Lord and others ahead of himself. He truly lived the words of Jesus, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and all your mind, and all your soul, and you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Blessings,
Pastor Russ
Today we continue to hear what the Apostle Paul says to us about the laborer being worthy of his hire. Paul has addressed this issue in the past in other situations, and we hear him give more direction to us today.
I am not just asserting these things according to human judgment, am I? Or does the Law not say these things as well? For it is written in the Law of Moses: “YOU SHALL NOT MUZZLE THE OX WHILE IT IS THRESHING.” God is not concerned about oxen, is He? Or is He speaking entirely for our sake? Yes, it was written for our sake, because the plowman ought to plow in hope, and the thresher to thresh in hope of sharing in the crops. 1 Corinthians 9:8-10
He will address the same issue when writing to the young pastor Timothy concerning his service in the church. To Timothy he says, For the Scripture says, "YOU SHALL NOT MUZZLE THE OX WHILE HE IS THRESHING," and "The laborer is worthy of his wages." (1 Timothy 5:18)
So, what is the issue? Paul will spend over half of this chapter addressing fair wages for those who serve in the Lord’s ministry. Why would this be such an issue? The reason is that money is the one thing which can destroy a church and ministry faster than anything else in this world.
There are multiple reasons for this, so let me share a few. First, Paul tells Timothy, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and by craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains” (1 Timothy 6:10). Money itself is only a tool, but when the human heart craves it, what began as a tool becomes an obsession in a life. There are those who have actually said that a preacher should be poor so as to keep him humble. Many churches have followed this logic and thousands of wonderful servants of God have suffered, not to mention their families.
There are others who use the church as a means to obtain wealth. Many notable TV evangelist come to mind. They have traded their integrity and fidelity to God for the proverbial gold ring. Scripture is twisted, misinterpreted, or outright denied in order to bully people into donating to their cause. Sadly, once donations are made, the lion share is used for selfish reason.
This does not simply happen in the church. Many non-profits which began or came from religious backgrounds have been found to solicit millions of dollars in donations and use only a fraction for the publicized purpose of their organization. Their CEOs and directors make million dollar salaries, while the people they claim to serve suffer.
This greed for money is not limited only to the clergy. I read a story recently of a woman who served as the treasurer in a church who embezzled just shy of $600,000 dollars through manipulating the church finances. Tragically, this happens far too often.
What is Paul’s message to his readers and to us? If a person works in the Lord’s ministry, then that same ministry should provide what is needed for that person’s life. As I said last week, the standard rule of thumb should be that the preacher is paid what would be counted as the average income of the people whom he serves.
Now the point we need to understand is this! This is not a mere suggestion on the part of the Apostle Paul. When he wrote these words, and others like them, he was doing so under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. This Word is the Word of God! It is given by God to be taken to heart by the people of God. We do not have the freedom nor do we have any right to set aside God’s clear Word and replace it with what we desire to see happen. We are to humble ourselves before the truth of God and be obedient.
One part of this equation is for each individual Christian to examine his or her own heart and answer the question, “What do I love most? The clear Word of God or my bank account? Will I covet money, or will I covet the blessings of God?” We have all but lost the proper understanding of Biblical Stewardship. The Old Testament people were commanded to give 10% to the Lord. It was the first-fruits of all God had provided to be a blessing to them. I know of people who make thousands of dollars a month and who put pittance in the offering of their church. They seek to gain for themselves while dishonoring the one who provides all the blessings they have received.
The place for a Christian to start with Stewardship is with a bowed head and an open heart. If your heart is not filled with gratitude for all God has done for you and all He has provided for you beginning with the forgiveness of sins made possible by Christ’s cross, then you have lost sight of the value of your own salvation. If you are not moved to offer all you are and all you have in joyful response to the grace of God in your life, then you need to take a long hard look at yourself in the mirror of God’s Word.
With a yielded heart and eyes open wide to see the will of God, ask Him what your offering to His ministry should be! I would humbly suggest that 10% is the baseline for all Christians. It should be the place we start our discussion with God, and then see where He would take us from there.
I will close by telling you of a man I was privileged to know in my past. This man served our country all his life as a soldier. He rose to a high rank and upon retirement settled down in a small town in Texas to live out his golden years. His retirement, after many years of service, was $50,000 per year. This elderly man loved the Lord, and he sought to serve Him in every way possible throughout his life. This elderly gentlemen made the decision to contribute ½ of his annual salary to God. He supported his local church as well as several missionaries around the world. This man’s generosity opened the way for thousands of people to hear the Good News of Jesus. He was a humble man who placed the Lord and others ahead of himself. He truly lived the words of Jesus, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and all your mind, and all your soul, and you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Blessings,
Pastor Russ
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