Peter SmytheA Different Kind of Word Preacher

In the last post, we saw how Israel demanded to be ruled by a king rather than the Lord, Himself. In response to Israel’s demand to be like its heathen neighbors, the Lord warned Israel of the ramifications of positional kingship; namely, the king would ransack their lives while demanding a tithe to keep the [his] kingdom going.

Much of today’s ministerial culture is less than a stone’s throw away from Samuel’s word of wisdom (see 1 Corinthians 12). Faithful, God-loving, and God-fearing Christians are encouraged to “step out in faith” with tithes and offerings, often sacrificially, for God to “move” or fund the minister’s latest project (projects usually spur more giving). It is not a rare thing, however, for the sacrificing sheep to see that their hard-earned dollars have underwritten some of the most extravagant ways of getting things done. Time and time again, such extravagance is justified on the basis of the gold used in the Old Testament’s temple, the patriarchs’ riches, or some featherbrained idea that because some heathen billionaire flies around the country in a Gulfstream so should God’s ministers (ministry has its privileges).

In the New Testament, we see that Paul, as the apostle he was, did not use his apostleship as positional leverage for a kingly tithe. In fact, he did quite the opposite.

In Acts 13, we see Paul (Saul at that time) being set apart by the Holy Ghost for his apostolic work:

Now there were at Antioch, in the church that was there, prophets and teachers; Barnabas … and Saul. While they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them. Then, when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.” (Acts 13.1-3, NASB).

Paul subsequently established churches in Galatia, Thessalonica, and Corinth in that successive order:

Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile an account of the things accomplished among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the Word, it seemed fitting for me as well, having investigated everything carefully from the beginning, to write it out for you in consecutive order, most excellent Theophilus; so that you may know the exact truth about the things you have have been taught. (Luke 1.1-4, NASB)

[Luke also authored the book of Acts which contains Paul’s missionary journeys. By Luke’s statement of “consecutive order,” we understand the chronology of Paul’s journeys. Paul did a lot of things in his missionary journeys, but I’m just focusing on Galatia, Thessalonica, and Corinth here.]

After establishing the churches in Galatia, Paul heads to Thessalonica and works among the Thessalonians. Interestingly enough, though Paul is set apart by God to do this ministry, he does not set himself positionally over the Thessalonians to take tithes and offerings from them. Instead, he works night and day, so as “not to be a burden” on them (sounds a lot like Samuel’s prophecy about kingship):

For you recall, brethren, our labor and hardship, how working night and day so as not to be a burden to any of you, we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. (1 Thessalonians 2.9, NASB)

For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example, because we did not act in an undisciplined manner among you, nor did we eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but with labor and hardship we kept working night and day so that we would not be a burden to any of you. (2 Thessalonians 3.8, NASB)

By example, Paul teaches the church that it is to work with its own hands, rather than rely on the fruit of the hands of others (compare Samuel’s prophecy):

and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands, just as we commanded you. (1 Thessalonians 4.11, NASB)

For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order; if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat either. (2 Thessalonians 3.10)

Sometime while Paul was working and preaching in Thessalonica, he received at least two gifts of money from the Philippians:

You yourselves also know, Philippians, that at the first preaching of the gospel, after I left Macedonia, no church shared with me in the manner of giving and receiving but you alone; for even in Thessalonica you sent a gift more than once for my needs. (Philippians 4.15-16, NASB)

The context of Paul’s statement is that he didn’t ask for the money or demand a tithe, but it was sent to him by the Philippians because of their love for the Gospel.

After Thessalonica (Acts 17), Paul finds himself in Corinth (Acts 18). The odd thing is that he has run out of money given to him by the Philippians. Since he founded the churches in Galatia, ministered in Philippi, etc., you’d think he could say “Hey, bring all the tithes into the storehouse” or “step out in faith in your giving” to those folks to continue the ministry. He doesn’t do that. Instead, he goes back to work, situation in which most ministers today would consider him a failure:

After these things he left Athens and went to Corinth. And he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, having recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. He came to them, and because he was of the same trade, he stayed with them and the were working, for by trade they were tent-makers. And he was reasoning in the synagogue every Sabbath and trying to persuade Jews and Greeks. (Acts 18.1-4, NASB)

And even as he preached the Gospel to the Corinthians, he refused to take up any offerings from them even though he had every right to do so:

If we sowed spiritual things in you, is it too much if we reap material things from you? 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. (1 Corinthians 9.11-12, NASB)

Or did I commit a sin in humbling myself so that you might be exalted, because I preached the gospel of God to you without charge? I robbed other churches by taking wages from them to serve you; and when I was present with you and was in need, I was not a burden to anyone; for when the brethren came from Macedonia they fully supplied my need, and in everything I kept myself from being a burden to you, and will continue to do so. (2 Corinthians 11.7-9, NASB)

As is evident, though Paul receives another financial gift, he says that he’ll go back to working the tents once the money runs out. Why?

For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble … (1 Corinthians 1.26, NASB)

The Corinthians were not “people of influence” as that term is used in the Body of Christ today (the Philippians probably knew that). Most of them were slaves and Paul, instead of assuming a kingship role in ministry, exerted every effort that he could so as not to burden them with his own physical needs. Interestingly enough, though he personally received the revelation of the “mystery of Christ,” he referred to himself as Jesus’s bondslave rather than a king’s kid.