Simple Church Minute 21--supporting Christian workers

21—supporting Christian workers     

My name is Tom; this is Simple Church Minute

            In the early church, people like Paul, Priscilla and Aquila had skills that allowed them to travel to other cities and cultures to teach people about Jesus.  It appears that Paul was born into wealth, which is why he was a Roman citizen, and would have had no need of the tentmaking skill except that it was a requirement of being trained a Pharisee.  Only after his conversion did it become clear that even that was God’s hand on his life, as it helped make possible his missionary journeys.  There is no place in the New Testament that condoned local religious professionals.  There was money specifically raised to send persons to places where it was questionable that one could obtain a livable skill for that culture.

            Our culture is a lot different.  In Paul’s day, just being literate was a prized skill. Part of what brought Rome to its knees was that people got saved, learned to read so they could read the Bible for themselves, and then were qualified to work in the Roman bureaucracy.  When Diocleatian’s last general persecution happened, so many believers fled, the Empire could not function.

            Today, one of our society’s problems is that in too many businesses and other organizations, the people they want to hire and promote are not the hones, not the best trained, but the most easily corrupted people.  It is a natural, but difficult, part of our commitment to living for Jesus to desire to do work that is honest and ethical by God’s standards.  How do we give our best to honor Jesus in work?  1. Work as unto God, not as unto man.  2. Get a skill.  One of six in our society with a college degree is not using it in his or her job.  Further, I know what I am saying about leadership and every member ministry threatens the jobs of many Godly people who are in the status quo church system, but it is not scriptural.  3. Desire work from an ethical employer.  Our society is overrun with employers whose only honest jobs are the bottom line ones.

            You can email me at simplechurchminute@gmail.com.  For more info on organic church*, see http://www.simplechurch.com/ or locally, (local website).

On the recording, at this time, it says, “house churches.”  While that phrasing is OK, to say “organic church” is better.  I comment on that in blip 94.

Simple Church Minute 10--clergy salaries

10—clergy salaries

My name is Tom; this is Simple Church Minute

            Paul was the human writer of much of the New Testament.  In Philippians, chapter 3 verses 5 and 6, he tells us of how exactly he lived his life as a Pharisee before his salvation.  He was part of the Jewish religious system, and had become will known due to his education and zeal.  Historically, the Levites were dependent upon the tithes of the rest of Israel for their living.  Israel many times walked away from God’s direction, and failed to support them.  As such, the Pharisees instituted a tradition that every Pharisee was to learn a trade, just in case.  Paul came from a rich family, and didn’t need a trade, but as part of the process, learned to be a tentmaker.  When Paul came to faith in Jesus, had time to grow to Christian spiritual maturity, and prepared to spread the truth of Jesus to Gentile lands, he was prepared to not need financial help to live.  The church of that time had no professionals.  Paul taught that the church should support those who went out to spread the Gospel, and in later parts of his ministry was voluntarily supported.  It is even more amazing what God did through Paul, given that he could only minister part-time during the earlier part of his journeys.

            Today, many church leaders expect a salary.  The most extreme offense is from some denominational leaders and professors who do not believe, teach new leaders to not believe, and expect believers giving to support their salaries, to administrate against the true church.  Further, many traditional pastors are under pressure to avoid teaching all of God’s Word, as there is a person who potentially has a finger on his salary, that is offended about some point in the Word.  The pastor has no idea how to support his family if he loses his job, and doesn’t have a skill, even if he has a graduate degree.

            This is one of the results of one unscriptural practice after another.  What can they or you do now, if somehow tomorrow the traditional church was no longer allowed to exist, as has happened in other countries?  Few traditional churches have a plan.

            You can email me at simplechurchminute@gmail.com.  For more info on organic church*, see http://www.simplechurch.com/ or locally, (local website).

On the recording, at this time, it says, “house churches.”  While that phrasing is OK, to say “organic church” is better.  I comment on that in blip 94.

An excellent book on the role of vocation in the Christian life is "The Other Six Days" by R. Paul Stevens.  While I do not believe I quoted Stevens in this blip, his thoughts have definitely affected mine on this subject.