RECAP: Dr. Paul Little’s message can be heard at the link below.
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 9:1-14
Points of thought:
The call of God
Common Sense
Clarity of God’s law
Centrality of the Church
Our consistency with the temple
The command of Jesus
My thoughts:
Don’t shoot the messenger….are my thoughts exactly. Dr. Paul Little spoke the truth about a very tuff subject today and that is tithing. I am sure you’ll want to read this because many of us have your own ideas and assumptions about tithing so you may learn a few things. The scriptures clearly back up what he preached and I’ll just share some thoughts that spoke to me personally.
The call of God is the calling the Apostle Paul had and it’s the same calling that many of our Pastors, Preachers, Missionaries and workers for the Lord have today. In this chapter we learn how those who earn their living preaching the gospel should earn it from the gospel.
Vs 14 In the same way, the Lord ordered that those who preach the Good News should be supported by those who benefit from it.
The people in Corith did like the message that Paul was preaching so they prioritized giving to others leaving Paul unsupported. Although Paul did not accept money from the people in Corinth he didn’t feel supported. However the call of God that Paul was living out meant that he deserved monetary benefit from the Church.
Common Sense tells us that when someone is a worked for the Lord effectiveness and hard work is what God expects. Paul had truly demonstrated that and it was obvious by the fruits of his labor.
vs2 Even if others think I am not an apostle, I certainly am to you. You yourselves are proof that I am the Lord’s apostle.
God clearly commands in his scriptures and in the verses below that we are to share in the harvest.
vs9 For the law of Moses says, “You must not muzzle an ox to keep it from eating as it treads out the grain.” Was God thinking only about oxen when he said this? 10 Wasn’t he actually speaking to us? Yes, it was written for us, so that the one who plows and the one who threshes the grain might both expect a share of the harvest.
I Timothy 5:18 For the Scripture says, “You must not muzzle an ox to keep it from eating as it treads out the grain.” And in another place, “Those who work deserve their pay!”
The biggest thing I learned today was about the centrality in the Church. As I mentioned earlier Paul knew that the Corinthians had their priorities wrong and supported others but not so much Paul. Some of us have our priorities unintentionally wrong. We are commanded to give to the Church first with the first 10% of our earnings than to other ministries. This is where I was totally ignorant in my thinking. Dr. Paul Little gave a great analogy that I would like to share. Having our priorities wrong in this area is like giving the UPS driver (who delivers all the Christmas presents to your door) a a gift instead instead of giving a gift to the person who actually bought and wrapped the gift for you. Giving to other charities and ministries is good but not before you give the first 10% of your earnings to the Church.
This commandment is consistent throughout the Old and New Testament. There are some things that God changed from the Old to the New Testament but the Bible never speaks about this commandment having any ‘amendments’. So it’s really important for us not to fall into the trap of thinking this is an Old Testament principal.
The last and most important point is that this is a commandment from God. It’s clearly stated in Malachi 3 if you want to reference it. We were strongly challenged today not to call ourselves followers and disciples of God if we don’t follow this command. If we don’t obey this commandment it simply means we have idols in our lives that are more important to us. WOW is all I have to say about that….and yes everyone in the Church did leave the building rather quietly.
Lord help me to follow this commandment better as I have been ignorant and inconsistent.
In the clay,
Chantal Dube