Elders/Pastors and Financial Benefits in Acts 20:33-35
In many sectors of the church, elders/pastors and financial benefits seem to go hand-in-hand. In fact, until a few years ago, I had never heard of a church that did not fall into one of the following categories: 1) already employed one or more people as elders/pastors, 2) actively looking for one or more people to employ as elders/pastors, or 3) could not afford to hire someone as elder/pastor but was working toward that goal.
In this series, I am examining three passages (in four posts) in which elders/pastors and financial benefits are explicitly connected. Those three passages are Acts 20:33-35, 1 Timothy 5:17-18, and 1 Peter 5:2. I think it is important to analyze each passage to determine what it can or cannot mean before synthesizing the information together to help us understand what Scripture says about the connection between elders/pastors and financial benefits.
In this post, I’m going to examine what Luke writes in Acts 20:33-35 regarding elders/pastors and financial benefits.
At this point in the Book of Acts, Paul is making his way back to Jerusalem. He arrived at Miletus, a port city near Ephesus. But, he did not have time to travel to Ephesus, so he sent a message to the elders from that city and asked them to meet him in Miletus. (Acts 20:15-17) He reminded them how he had lived among them while he was in the city of Ephesus. (Acts 20:18-27; see also Acts 19)
Next, Paul exhorted them in a way that is often understood as being normative for all elders of all times in all places:
Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. (Acts 20:28 ESV)
Paul warned them that dangers would arise from false teachers who would come in among the church. (Acts 20:29-32) This, then, leads to the passage of interest for this post:
I coveted no one’s silver or gold or apparel. You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities and to those who were with me. In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:33-35 ESV)
At the beginning of this section, Paul clearly spells out that he is talking about working in a such a way as to provide for himself (and others). Obviously, he also expects the elders to do the work of shepherding and overseeing, since he commanded this kind of work earlier in Acts 20:28. So, here, Paul is talking about another kind of work, the kind of work that Paul calls “working with your hands” in other places (connected with the terms “these hands” in this passage).
This passage also includes the second command in Paul’s exhortation to the elders from Ephesus: “…by working hard in this way we must help…” or “it is necessary to help the weak by working hard in this manner.” “In this way/manner” points back to Paul’s own example of working with his hands to support himself and others. Paul commanded (it is necessary) the elders to work in the same way that he hand worked so that they could support themselves, their families, and others who are in need/weak. (Paul often combines the concepts of spiritual weakness with physical need, as it probably the case here.)
It is perhaps most interesting to me that it is in this context that Paul quotes Jesus (and Luke records it) as saying, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Paul is using that quotation to reinforce to the elders that they should work so that they can give to others (i.e., be a blessing to others).
According to Luke, Paul expected the elders to both work among the people by shepherding and overseeing, and he also expected them to work with their hands to support themselves and others. In this passage, there is no other indication of financial benefit from being an elder other than what the elder earns by working himself. This does not mean that other kinds of financial benefits were not available. Instead, it means that Paul expected them to work even if other financial benefits were present.
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Elders/Pastors and Financial Benefits Series
Missing an opportunity to serve…
Have you ever looked back at your life (perhaps to the recent past) and realized that you missed an opportunity that God had given you to serve someone? Unfortunately, that happens to me often. Many times, I try to justify the missed opportunity, but in reality it is just that: a missed opportunity.
I thought about many of those missed opportunities when I read a post by Bobby at “Deconstructing Neverland” called “Smoking in the boys room.”
While the title of his post is also the name of one of the all-time great classic rock songs, that is not what his post is about. Instead, Bobby replays an incident from his childhood in which a church leader missed the opportunity to serve him and his family.
Here is a small part of Bobby’s post:
I had it all worked out. I had friends who were in on my secret and they would be my lookout. I had the schedule memorized and the optimal times to sneak away for a smoke all figured out. It was not a flawless plan. Once an adult caught wind of nicotine in the air, the hunt was on and eventually I was the marked target. I would now have to pay for my sins and be put away from the flock. As they say: little leaven leavens the whole lump.
I vividly remember the pastor bringing be into a private room, taking out my delicious pack of Marlboro Red’s and going completely mental as he broke every one with veins pulsing in his forehead and the look of pure disgust on his face. “I’m doing this because I love you” he tells me. Huh, I thought. Strange love.
After he took out all his emotions on my helpless pack of cancer sticks he escorted me out to the pool where all the other kids were playing. He got everyone’s attention so that I could obey his command to confess to everyone my addiction to cigarettes and let them all know that I was leaving. It is my most embarrassing memory to date and I owe it all to the Pastor who “loved” me enough to put me through it.
Whenever I return to this time in my mind the feelings come flooding back. Embarrassment, shame, fear, guilt, rejection, anger, sadness all coursed through my veins simultaneously. A sweaty little teenage boy hoping to find someone who would accept me in spite of my failures.
You know, I’ve found that there are many little teenage boys and girls – and many older men and women – who are hoping that someone will accept them in spite of their failures. Often, when these failures become apparent, we have an opportunity to accept and serve the person in the love of Jesus Christ.
This is where we often “drop the ball”…
I’m praying for opportunities to serve people, and at the same time, I’m praying that God will give me the grace and humility to love and accept them in spite of their failures, just like he loves and accepts me in spite of my failures.
Replay: Contending for the faith with Jude
Three years ago, I wrote a post called “Are you contending for the faith?” I was preparing to guest lecture on the Book of Jude for a friend who teaches in a local community college. As I read through the book and studied what Jude was saying to his readers, I was surprised. I was not surprised at Jude’s concern about false teachers. I was surprised at how Jude told his readers to RESPOND to the false teachers.
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“Are you contending for the faith?”
In his short letter, Jude tells his readers that he was planning to write about their common salvation. Instead, he says that he decided to appeal to them “to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints”. (Jude 3)
But, what did Jude intend for his readers to do? How were they supposed to “contend for the faith”?
In the next sentence, Jude warns his readers that some divisive and disruptive and ungodly people had sneaked in among them. For the next twelve verses (Jude 5-16), Jude tells his readers that ungodly people will be punished by God. He gives them several examples of how God judges and punishes the ungodly.
But, this still doesn’t answer the question. How are Jude’s readers supposed to “contend for the faith”? Read the next 7 verses:
But you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. They said to you, “In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.” It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit. But you, beloved, build yourselves up in your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit; keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. And have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh. (Jude 17-23 ESV)
Did you see the commands? There are only five commands (instructions) in the Jude’s short letter, and they’re all contained in these verses. How would Jude’s readers (and us by extension) “contend for the faith”?
- Remember the predictions of the apostles. The apostles told them that people with ungodly passions would come in. They should not be surprised nor fearful of them.
- Remain in the love of God, by a) building each other up in faith (that is, helping one another trust God), b) praying in the Holy Spirit, and c) waiting for the mercy that comes from Jesus Christ.
- Have mercy on those who doubt.
- Rescue (save) those who are trapped in sinful behavior.
- Have mercy (cautiously – with fear) on those whose lives are covered with sin.
(By the way, the last few verses have quite different attestations in different manuscripts. But, most agree Jude instructs his readers to have mercy on others.)
I think it is very interesting that Jude tells his readers to “contend for the faith” (and thereby thwart the work of divisive, deceptive, and ungodly people) by encouraging one another to remain in God’s love and by having mercy on those who are doubting or sinning.
I’m not sure that this is the way the church is attempting to “contend for the faith” today. It seems that we tend to tear down those who disagree with us and ridicule or label or dismiss those who are doubting or sinning. Could it be that its not “the faith” we are contending for?
What if showing love and mercy contends for the faith more than apologetic arguments? What if helping and strengthening one another (other believers) preserves the faith more than creeds and confessions? What if “the faith” is more about living in God’s love and trusting him than it is about a set of systematic doctrines?
What if the church focused on love and mercy and allowed God to continue to deal with the divisive, the deceptive, and the ungodly as Jude shows that he always has in the past?
It’s not Monopoly. It’s not Life. It’s Worse!
My friend Dan at “Some Church Stuff” (formerly “The Ekklesia in Southern Maine”) is revamping his website. He’s changed the name to broaden his topics. He’s also using a simple, clean design.
Yesterday, we talked about why he was writing for this site again. He said that all of these things were running through his mind, and he wanted to write about them. We wants to put them out there and see how they fly in the “real world.”
Now, Dan might eventually write some kind of exegesis or expositional post, but I’m thinking those will be few and far between. Instead, Dan is more of a cultural critic… but not just any culture. Nope. He’s a “church culture critic.”
His posts are sarcastic – and you know that I love sarcasm. But, some of you do not like sarcasm. So, it would probably be better for you to stay away from his blog. However, if you can stand a little (or a lot of) sarcasm, and can use it to examine your own life and motives, then I think Dan’s writings can be very helpful.
His first post was called “Just Ignore Me.”
But, his second post is even better. It’s called “Playing Games.” You should really read that post. In this post, Dan describes a “game” that sounds all too familiar.
By the way, Dan tells me that he welcomes feedback… even if you disagree with him.
But some men joined him and believed
Biblical scholars, theologians, missionaries, church planters, and plenty of other people who don’t have any kind of title study Acts 17:16-34 to learn about proclaiming the gospel to different contexts. Of course, in the Book of Acts, we read about Paul and others proclaiming the gospel in many different contexts, and this is only one of those. However, this is one of the only examples in Scripture of someone proclaiming the gospel in a non-Jewish or a Jewish majority context.
I do love the way that Paul begins at a point that the people around the Areopagus would understand. Then, he works toward a simple statement about repentance, judgment, righteousness, and resurrection. Well, it’s simple in the fact that it was a very short statement. In fact, his entire “speech” was probably very short. At the point that Paul mentioned the resurrection, the crowd reacted strongly.
And, this is the point that I’d like to consider in this post. You see, while this passage can help us understand something about proclaiming the gospel in different cultural contexts, it can also help us understand an important point about helping people follow Jesus as his disciples – what could be called “discipleship.”
When Paul mentions “resurrection,” Luke tells us what happened next:
Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked. But others said, “We will hear you again about this.” So Paul went out from their midst. But some men joined him and believed, among whom also were Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris and others with them. (Acts 17:32-34 ESV)
Paul did not tell the crowd at the Areopagus everything there was to know about God, Jesus, the gospel, etc. He made a simple proclamation. Some were interested in hearing more, so he told them more. However, even all of those were not disciples. Only some join Paul in following Jesus, of whom Luke mentions one man and one woman.
It’s clear that Paul told the “some” more than he told the crowds at the Areopagus. In order to do that, he had to have spent more time with the “some” than he did with the crowd. Of course, this sounds very similar to what Jesus did with the crowds and the people who followed him. There are other examples in Scripture as well.
What do we see in this example of Paul at the Areopagus in Athens?
1) Short, to the point – but limited – proclamation that is understandable by the crowds listening.
2) More information given to those who are interested.
3) Most time spent with those who actually go beyond “interest.”
Now, remember that Paul is considered a “missionary.” A missionary. An apostle. An evangelist. Yet, it seems like only a small amount of his time and energy is spent in actually proclaiming the gospel to unbelievers. More of his time is spent with believers – the church.
What do you think? Am I reading too much into this passage and similar accounts in Scripture? Or, is this a good pattern for us to consider? How do we see this pattern followed or not followed today?
Discipleship: Patience and Progress
You know, Jesus had to have a tremendous amount of patience. Think about it… he lived among a group of people (including twelve men he called apostles) for at least three years. They heard him speak, saw him heal, followed him from place to place, ate with him. In every circumstance and situation, he showed them what it meant to live in the kingdom of God.
Finally, they watched him die and spent 40 days with him after he was raised from the dead. Then, just as he was about to physically leave them – as he had told them he was going to do – they asked him, “Hey, Jesus, is this when you’ll finally usher in your kingdom?” (Alan’s paraphrase)
If it was me, I would have started over right then. I mean, everything Jesus did and said to show them and teach them about the kingdom of God, and they still didn’t get it. But, like I said, Jesus had a tremendous amount of patience, and he was willing to continue to work in these people – at least 120 in Jerusalem and perhaps as many as 500 in Galilee – through the Holy Spirit.
Of course, someone could argue that Jesus had so much patience with these earliest disciples because the Holy Spirit had not indwelled them yet. But, then, Paul comes along, and he also spends a long time with people helping them follow Jesus and live in the kingdom of God. True, at times, he only has a short time to spend with people in some cities. But, at other times, he spends up to 2 years helping people follow Jesus.
We can learn something important from this. Patience is necessary when we are helping other people follow Jesus as his disciples.
However, in the same way, I think we should expect progress – both from ourselves and from others. True, progress will be different with different people. God works differently in different people and different circumstances and different contexts. But, he does continue to work, and so we should see continuous progress.
This “progress” is referred to by many terms or phrases in Scripture. For example, Jesus and the authors of Scripture often pointed out that God’s children should “bear fruit.” “Fruit” is one indication of progress as a disciple of Jesus.
So, while we should definitely be patient with ourselves and with others, we should also expect to see progress in following Jesus.
Interestingly, what I’ve found (typically) is that we expect patience for ourselves and progress from others.
Do you think we should have patience in ourselves and others as we learn to follow Jesus? Do you think we should also see progress?
How do these two (patience with progress) affect the way we help others follow Jesus as his disciples?
Have you also noticed the tendency to request patience for ourselves but require progress from others? How can we work against this tendency?
Replay: Follow Jesus to do WHAT?
I first published the post “Follow Jesus to do WHAT?” four years ago when we were studying the Gospel of Matthew. I noticed some patterns in the things that Jesus did and the things that he then sent his followers out to do. Perhaps, “following Jesus” or being a “disciple of Jesus” means doing these same kinds of things.
What do you think?
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Follow Jesus to do WHAT?
As I’ve mentioned previously, we’re studying through the Gospel of Matthew, with different brothers teaching through the passages on Sunday mornings when the church meets (see the posts “What’s with the begats?“, “Baptized with the Holy Spirit and with fire“, “A Sympathetic High Priest“, and “Playing with Blocks“). Next Sunday, Mael is planning to teach through the end of chapter 4 of Matthew. As our family has discussed this passage before our Sunday meeting, we’ve noticed something interesting.
First of all, in Luke’s Gospel, he says the following about the start of Jesus’ public ministry:
And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about him went out through all the surrounding country. And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all. And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” (Luke 4:14-21 ESV)
Thus, according to Jesus, part of the reason that he came was to fulfill this prophecy. It is interesting that Matthew does not include this prophecy in his Gospel, especially since Matthew seems very interested in showing that Jesus is the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets.
In Matthew 4, the evangelist begins by telling about the temptation of Jesus. Next, he says that Jesus called Andrew, Peter, James, and John to follow him. Then, notice the passage at the end of Matthew chapter 4:
And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people. So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, epileptics, and paralytics, and he healed them. And great crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan. (Matthew 4:23-25 ESV)
So, while Matthew does not specifically quote Isaiah, and while Matthew does not specifically say that Jesus fulfills Isaiah’s prophecy, Matthew actually demonstrates that Jesus did fulfill the prophecy. In Luke (Isaiah), we see that Jesus says that he is going to proclaim the good news. In Matthew, we see Jesus actually proclaiming the good news. In Luke (Isaiah), we see that Jesus says that he is going to care for the blind and oppressed. In Matthew, we see Jesus actually healing the sick and casting out oppressive demons.
But, I think we n
It’s not that you’re corrupt; it’s that they don’t know you
Have you heard any complaints about “this generation” lately? Have you heard that they have little or no respect for authority? Have you heard that they have problems with committing to church? Haven’t heard that? Well, I have. And, I hear it often.
But, there’s a problem with these complaints. They’re not true. Seriously. They’re not true.
This generation (whichever generation the author, blogger, pastor, etc. may be talking about) does respect authority, and they do not have a problem committing.
However, they have very little respect or commitment for nameless, faceless entities. Over the last 20 years or so, people have grown up watching commercials telling them that product X is the best, fastest, easiest, cheapest, etc. They knew these claims were not true. They heard politicians telling them that they had their best interests in mind. They knew these sound bites were not true. They heard CEO’s telling them that the employees were the company’s most important asset. They knew this was not true.
How did they know these things were not true? Because it didn’t prove to be true. The products failed. The politicians lied. The CEO laid off half the work force and took a huge bonus.
All of these people (product spokespeople, politicians, and CEO’s) all had something in common. The people did not really know them. They knew the names and faces, but they didn’t know the people themselves.
They did not truly know the actor pitching the product, or the congressman/senator making promises, or the CEO collecting bonuses. And, they learned that they could not trust someone just because they were in a certain position of influence. They learned that just because a person said something, it did not make it true. In fact, they learned that the more someone said something and the more force that was used to convince people that it was true, the more likely the it was not true.
So, where does that put the church in the view of “this generation”? Well, it depends.
Do the people actually know the person (people) who are speaking? I’m not asking if they know what the person (people) say about himself, herself, or themselves. I’m not asking if they know what the person says. I mean, do they actually KNOW that person. If not, then to “this generation” the person speaking is the same as the product spokesperson, the company’s CEO, the politician, the college president, etc.
If the people do not know you, they will probably not trust you. This is different than previous generations to whom people in positions of authority were automatically assumed to be trustworthy. “This generation” has learned otherwise; people are not trustworthy simply because of their position or because they say that they are trustworthy.
This does not mean that you are corrupt. It does not mean that you are lying. It does not mean that you are not authentic in what you say about yourself. It means that they do not KNOW any of this about you, because they will not believe it simply because you say it’s so.
So, do you want people in “this generation” to trust you? Do you want to be able to influence them? Do you want them to be committed to fellowship and community with you? Then, you must share your life with them… actually share your life.
The times when you stand above them and speak, teach, preach, sermonize alone will not count in their eyes.
Does your context not allow for any other kind of sharing lives together? Well, you have a problem, don’t you?
Why should we let THAT PERSON speak to the church?
In my previous post, “I did NOT expect God to do THAT,” I reflected back on our study of Hannah’s prayer in 1 Samuel 2. As I said, her prayer indicates that God often works through ways and people that we do not expect. It reminded me of something Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 1:26-29.
Both of these passages remind us that often God does not work in the ways that we expect, and often God does not work through the people that we might expect.
But, how should this reminder (and pattern that we find throughout Scripture) affect the way that we gather together as the church?
Who do you expect God to use when the church gathers together? Through whom do you expect God to speak and exhort his church when you gather together? Before you answer, think about how you gather with the church. How does your pattern and methods of gathering together indicate your answers to those questions?
For most churches, the answers are apparent. When the church gathers together, we expect that God will use and speak through certain leaders, but not through others. These are our expectations, and those expectations are readily indicated by the way that we meet together and especially by who is allowed to speak and the prominence that is given to that particular time of speaking (i.e., the sermon).
But, what if – as the passages above and many other passages indicate – God truly does desire to work through and speak through “unexpected” ways and through “unexpected” people?
I’ve witnessed this time and time again as we meet together as the church. As different people speak and exhort and teach and admonish, God often chooses to speak through the most unexpected person or through an unexpected illustration or example. A child? Yep. A new believer? Yes. A woman? uh huh. Even an unbeliever?
Would God really speak to his church through an unbeliever? Wow… that would be totally unexpected.
Of course, for many Christians, the assumption would be that I’m talking about a child, or a new believer, or a woman, or an unbeliever delivering a 30-45 minute sermon. That’s not the case. God does not need a sermon or 30-45 minutes or a seminary-trained professional or a pastor/elder to speak to his children.
However, he does want his children to be willing to listen to others… to be open to him working through and speaking through unexpected channels.
When Paul is instructing the church in Corinth about speaking and serving when the church gathers (1 Corinthians 14), he gives a few guidelines, such as doing so in love and for the purpose of building up the church. But, throughout that chapter, it’s clear that he expects God to work through many of the people gathered together.
What are our expectations when we gather with the church? Do we expect God to work through one or two, or through any who gather with us? Do we expect God to work through us?
The way that we answer those questions will affect that way that we gather with other believers. And, the way that we gather with other believers indicates how we truly answer those questions.
Celebrity Christians and how they influence us
Jamal at “illuminate” has written a very good post called “Cliques, Celebrity Leaders, and The Disease of Hierarchy.”
In his post, Jamal warns against “following” certain people because of their celebrity status, even Christian celebrity status. These people could be popular church leaders, authors, conference speakers, or even bloggers.
He offers three warnings at the end of his post:
1. Beware of ‘selective associating’ and ‘selective name dropping’
2. Beware of giving false honor and respect to those on the leadership ‘stage’
3. Beware of comparing yourself to others, & stop comparing your brothers and sisters in Christ to one another
I want to continue Jamal’s discussion by adding one more “warning” to his list: 4. Beware of “following” people that you do not actually know.
What am I talking about? For 99.9% of us, we do not actually know the big name authors, church leaders, conference speakers, or bloggers. We know what they’ve written or what they’ve said, but we do not know them. We do not know how they actually live; we only know what they SAY about what they live.
By the way, I’m not saying that these people DON’T live in a way that honors God. I’m simply saying that we do not KNOW how they live.
Also, for those who find themselves in the Christian spotlight, I offer this additional warning: 5) Beware of presenting yourself as an example to people with whom you do not actually share your life.
God has placed people in our lives already who can offer good, real, living examples of what it means to follow Jesus Christ. These are the people who should influence us the most as we follow Jesus Christ ourselves.