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“Who Supports Those Who Minister to You?”

Thoughts for Today:

On the basis of Apostolic authority, human logic, Old Testament Law, present practice, and the command of Jesus -- Paul has made a convincing case for his right to be supported in ministry. Certainly, Paul was qualified as a minister. And because he was so busy in ministry, he could easily justify that his total income be derived from the offerings of ministry. Yet, he voluntarily chose not to exercise this right. Why? History tells us there were a number of teachers in Corinth at the time -- both Christian and pagan -- who were demanding money from the Corinthians. Paul set aside his right to compensation so as not to be associated or compared to these people.

In our passage today, Paul makes it very clear that he didn't write these things in order to motivate the Corinthians to support him -- he would rather die than take money from the Corinthians and lose his reward from the Lord. Unfortunately, there are some people in the church today who use this passage as proof that "true ministers" have no right to support from those they serve. However, those who do so selfishly fail to take into account 2 Corinthians 11:8: "I robbed other churches by receiving support from them so as to serve you." Paul is basically saying that he was able to forfeit his right to compensation from them because he was being supported by other churches. What do you think this says about the generosity of the Corinthian believers?

Questions to Ponder:

Who is supporting those who minister to you? Are you? What about the Christian radio programs you listen to or watch on television? Everyone who is involved in ministry deserves to be supported by those they serve. Are you doing your part?

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About the author

Pocket Devotions are written by Mike Brooks. A retired businessman, he is Moderator of South Shores church, leads the Deacon Board, serves on the finance committee, and he teaches a Men's Bible study and the Men's Ministry. Mike has a passion for evangelical missions. He is the husband of Sherry; the father of Ryan, Natalie, Krissy, Rebecca, and Amanda; the father-in-law of Ariel; and the grandfather of Conner and Christian.