Acts 20: 33 – 35
This testimony of the apostle Paul is a challenge to
all Christians today, especially to Christian leaders. In this passage, the
apostle said he laboured with his hands to provide his needs and those of his
companions, while also ministering the word of God. Some believe from the
passage that Paul was in part time Ministry, so he had time enough to do his
secular work while also ministering the word of God. But that is hard to
conceive of a man who made three extensive missionary journeys across the old
world, establishing churches, and also wrote about 50% of the New Testament.
Part time can hardly describe a man who gave up everything for the sake of the
Gospel of Christ. Paul was
certainly in full time Ministry, yet he laboured
with his hands to provide for himself and others.
Does the above negate the principle of church
members providing for their pastors or other church leaders? By no means! From
the Old Testament down through the New the Scripture is consistent in urging
members to provide for their leaders as may be seen in the following passages:
Lev. 2: 3; 10: 12 – 13; 27: 21; Num. 3: 48 – 51; 5: 9; 18: 8 – 21; Deut. 18: 3
– 5; 2 Kings 12: 16; Matt. 10: 10; 1 Cor. 9: 13 – 14; 2 Cor. 8 – 9; Gal. 6: 6;
1 Tim. 5: 17 – 18. The principle and practice of giving are well taught in
those passages. The point is this: EVERYONE IS TO PRACTICE GENEROUS GIVING. Both
leaders and the led are to do it. That is what Paul did as recorded in our text
above. The aim is to support the weak. And who are the weak? They are those
with comparative disadvantage in relation to others. This is not a permanent
state but related to a particular time. A pastor may be ‘weak’ today and need
the support of members, but can come out of that disadvantage tomorrow. Same
for members. So as members give to support their pastor, the pastor is equally
to look to those members who lack and support them. We are to be our
brothers/sisters keepers. No one ever always has all they need. We all get
deficient at some point and need support. Let us be loving and confident enough
to give generously, as we should also be humble and confident enough to receive
with gratitude. God wants His people to be supportive of one another. That is
how the world would know we are Christ’s disciples.
Besides this testimony to the world, generous giving
also brings God’s blessing. “It is more blessed to give than to receive”
implies there are blessings in both giving and receiving, only that the one is
more than the other. That scripture simply means that those who give more than
they receive receive more blessing than those who receive more than they give. So
we should encourage ourselves to give more, but we should not be fraudulent
about it. Asking people to sow a seed for every word of God they hear for the
word to take effect in them is fraudulent. If we want people to support our
Ministry, as indeed every Ministry needs money to thrive, we can say that
directly rather than flavour it with some spiritual sweet talk that eventually
amount to lies. For every word of God received in faith will profit the hearer,
whether or not they sow a seed.
Proverbs 11: 24 – 25 is good encouragement to
generous giving. What we invest in others always return to us one way or the
other (2 Cor. 9: 6 – 8). You have a constant stream of freshness as you give
generously. This freshness spans your health, family, storehouse, finance, and
endeavour. God actually promotes a giver, and you will not be an exception. It
may initially appear to some that they ‘lose’ by giving, in that the fruits do
not come in as fast as they expect. But nobody loses with God. Your labour is
not in vain (1 Cor. 15: 58). It is only an open hand that can receive
something. A made fist cannot receive because it is closed. So open yourself to
the needy, to the weak and cast your bread upon the waters and see it return
after many days (Ecclesiastes 11: 1). God bless you.
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