Any pastor who gets paid is a fake and a fraud. In Matthew Chapter 10 verses 6 to 8 Jesus is speaking to his disciples. He tells them to go out into the world and preach the gospel telling all the kingdom of heaven is near. He tells them to heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, and cast out devils. He then says freely you have received so give freely. The greatest gift or power he bestowed on the disciples was the gospel. Without the gospel, Noone is saved, Noone is forgiven and Noone makes it to Heaven. Jesus taught the gospel to the disciples freely. Freely you have recieved, so give freely. Jesus is saying undoubtedly, you do not get paid for preaching the gospel. But men come along and say something to the contrary. Men who were once sinners. Men who are human and make mistakes. I do not doubt they said these things one bit. They just go against what Jesus said. God has done this intentionally in His word to test those who preach or minister. He is testing where your heart is. He is testing where your loyalty lies. He is testing whether you are devoted to Him, who said to do it freely, or if you are putting your faith in the men who say you get paid. The verses I listed were the words of Jesus, so if you wish to reply, use only the words of Jesus and not those of men. Do not use verses that Jesus himself didn’t state. The church knows this to be true. That’s why they implemented having to go to college to get a degree in theology. Now you can say you didn’t receive the gospel freely to justify their disobeying the Lord. It’s all about money and you cannot serve both God and money. Isn’t an eternity in Heaven Payment enough? Isn’t the forgiving of all our sins Payment enough? Isn’t the fact that Jesus never left or forsaked us even during the worst times of our lives payment enough? He never gave up on us even if we gave up on ourselves. I could live a thousand lifetimes and never be able to repay this debt. How ungrateful are you preachers and pastors and ministers that this isn’t enough for you? How greedy are you that you must be paid to sing the praises of God after all He has done for you? The sad thing is that there are few if any pastors or preachers or church leaders that love God that much that they would show their gratitude and preach freely, just as Jesus told the disciples to do. Where is your love for Jesus that you would take the word of men over the word of Jesus? Did the men that wrote that you must be paid for preaching die on the cross for your sins? Did the men who wrote the verses that you must be paid for preaching forgive your sins? Jesus spoke this all to me so I know it’s true. The decision is yours and yours alone. Are you going to follow the men who told you to get paid for preaching or follow Jesus who said you must do it freely? It’s your decision to make. After all, it’s your eternity at stake and not mine. Me personally, I choose Jesus who has done more than I can ever repay. Shame on anyone who follow men because it gets them a paycheck which goes directly against what Jesus preached, rather than following the Lord who has done more for any of us than we will ever deserve. Dispute it all You want, but do know you are going against the word of Jesus and siding with men and money instead of our Savior.
I agree that God’s Grace shouldn’t be ministered or administered in exchange for money. This is a hot-button issue, and most people who are paid for ministry will not change. There are certain things that do not mix: money and ministry is one of those things; money and love is another one. Yet, most people are prone to mixing both, if not because they like to do so then because the culture in which they live determines and sometimes demands that they do so.
Like a white board we really need to clean a lot of stuff mankind unconsciously collects and keeps as part of one’s equation for Christian and Biblical basic foundational beliefs.
Mankind is a finite creature that defaults to self and significance equals how much he or she can produce + other people’s opinions. But, GOD tells us HE deeply, unconditionally, loves mankind and has proven HIS Love through CHRIST JESUS. (The Search for Significance by Robert McGee).
Personally, I have had to do quite a bit of renovation to my mental/psychological structure since I committed my life to JESUS, as an adult when I was about 26 years old.
Renovate is a term that fits my way of thinking because of my limited experience as a “Carpenter’s Helper” during my college days.
As our five senses experience trillions of second by second things during our lives our beliefs about everything good, bad, and otherwise form. To the degree we have consciously submitted ourselves to JESUS as our LORD and MASTER we come to understand more and more. HE becomes The GENERAL CONTRACTOR for the “construction” of our spiritual, psychological structure. We become HIS custom vessel.
If you have ever put up 4′ x 8′ wall paneling you know each one is precut precisely. In a perfect world the room’s corners to will all be “squared” with a 90° angled corner. Stay with me on this…
Most people never give this a second thought. You move in, hang pictures, place furniture, … But if you ever put up paneling or wallpaper you will quickly find whether the house’s foundation was leveled which was affected by how level the foundation was laid which affected the framing of house … the walls, windows frames, siding, bricks, rafters, …
So if the builder, excavator, carpenters, framers, plumbers, … were highly skilled, ethical, honest, experienced … everything was put together, piece by piece properly. Paneling will fit perfectly. But if, for example, the man who poured the foundation did it drunk, at night with very poor lighting, with little experience, then you can expect the whole house to be “out of square”.
So, what can you expect if one (you), as the builder of your life, the contractor, build your life (house) with your knowledge and experience (or lack of) ?
With all that in mind, based on our natural, self centered, I can do it myself skills, we can grow up to love money, regardless of how much or how little of it we have.
But, when we become Christians, HOLY SPIRIT comes to dwell in us! Then, we begin renovations. Our individual wills select the “contractor”. Will you handle it ALL by yourself or will you seek out The MASTER BUILDER for HIS Management of it all?
The things (beliefs) that were installed in your life WITHOUT measuring, examining for straightnesses, and leveling will have to be torn out and replaced and that means work, pain, regret, anger (?), resentment (?), guilt (?), fear (?), asking for The EXPERT’S Advice, Help, Guidance, Provisions, Support, Encouragement, Approval, Validation of HIS Plans …
Everything is GOD’S. We are as dust. Money is only one way GOD has Allowed natural fleshly selves to cope with ourselves. It is neither good or bad.. But it is the “love” of money that is the killer!
“10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”
(1 Timothy 6:10)
Whatever one loves more than GOD will always cause the need for the renovation of it.
“ 9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9)
Youth does not come preloaded with tons of wisdom from GOD. But it is always available! “ But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” (James 1:5 NAS)