9:8 "I am not
speaking these things according to human judgment, am I? Or does not the Law
also say these things? 9 For it is written in the Law of Moses, “You shall not
muzzle the ox while he is threshing.” God is not concerned about oxen, is He? 10
Or is He speaking altogether for our sake? Yes, for our sake it was written,
because the plowman ought to plow in hope, and the thresher to thresh in hope
of sharing the crops. 11 If we sowed spiritual things in you, is it too much if
we reap material things from you? 12 If others share the right over you, do we
not more? Nevertheless, we did not use this right, but we endure all things so
that we will cause no hindrance to the gospel of Christ. 13 Do you not know
that those who perform sacred services eat the food of the temple, and those
who attend regularly to the altar have their share from the altar? 14 So also
the Lord directed those who proclaim the gospel to get their living from the
gospel."
It truly blows my mind that people can argue against the
plain teachings of the Bible. If yesterday left any doubt it is gone now and
truly never should have existed anyway. When God gave instruction for setting
up Israel as a nation in the promised land He set one tribe apart as the
priestly tribe. They were to not only operate the sanctuary and it's services
but also the education system and be the spiritual leaders of the entire
nation. They were given no land like the other tribes were. They were not to
farm. Their full attention was to be given to their work as the spiritual
leaders. How did they survive? Where did their food come from? Easy. The other
eleven tribes supported them.
In any system it is necessary for different people within the
system to do different jobs in order for the entire system to work. Some might
argue (and do) that it isn't fair that some (in this case preachers) live off
the work of others. However this is not even true. In another letter Paul wrote
"if you don't work, you don't eat". As in a family or a business or a
summer camp or any system everyone must contribute but in different ways.
Take sales and marketing for example. A marketing department
consumes cash. A sales department generates cash. The sales department could
decide to go on their own. I mean why should they be sharing their profits with
the guys that play on their computers all day and never make any money for the
company? See the flawed logic? The sales guys generate money that supports the
marketing guys who in turn create advertising that drives sales so they can make
more money. In fancy terms it is a symbiotic relationship.
In the body of Christ God has called some to be
pastor/teachers and they live materially off the people while feeding them and
leading them spiritually. If they heed the teachings they will live happier,
healthier, and thus more productive lives which will make them better off than
if they had no preacher to pay.
God believes in team work. He also specializes in win/win
situations. Just remember the most successful place to be in life is in the place
God designed you for. Be content and recognize the privilege it is to
contribute to the team.
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