The New Testament teaching on financial support demonstrates tension between a number of truths: 1) Those who are sent by God, go, without regard to their financial situation, trusting that the God who sent them will also provide all their needs; 2) No soldier serves at his own expense, yet at the same time he yearns to provide the gospel free of charge; 3) Saints are instructed not to burden the church, but to work dilligently to support themselves while serving the Church; and 4) Lastly, the specific admonition aimed at the temptation to serve for monetary reward and caution against the love of money.
Those who venture forth go at the Lord’s command, trusting in His faithfulness to supply all their needs. They do the work of the ministry, laboring without promise or expectation of payment from those they serve.
Matthew 6:24-34: 24No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.
25For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? 27And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? 28And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, 29yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. 30But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! 31Do not worry then, saying, “What will we eat?” or “What will we drink?” or “What will we wear for clothing?” 32For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
34So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Mark 6:7-13: 7And He summoned the twelve and began to send them out in pairs, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits; 8and He instructed them that they should take nothing for their journey, except a mere staff–no bread, no bag, no money in their belt– 9but to wear sandals; and He added, “Do not put on two tunics.” 10And He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave town. 11Any place that does not receive you or listen to you, as you go out from there, shake the dust off the soles of your feet for a testimony against them.” 12They went out and preached that men should repent. 13And they were casting out many demons and were anointing with oil many sick people and healing them.
They aught not demand pay or Church salary. Instead, workers should freely serve, knowing God will supply their needs, often through the generous gifts of the saints. In the same way saints will recognize that the Scriptures agree with the leading they may receive from the Holy Spirit to help support these workers with material means.
3 John 1:5-8: 5Beloved, you are acting faithfully in whatever you accomplish for the brethren, and especially when they are strangers; 6and they have testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God. 7For they went out for the sake of the Name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. 8Therefore we ought to support such men, so that we may be fellow workers with the truth.
1 Corinthians 9:1-14: 1Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord? 2If to others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you; for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.
3My defense to those who examine me is this: 4Do we not have a right to eat and drink? 5Do we not have a right to take along a believing wife, even as the rest of the apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas? 6Or do only Barnabas and I not have a right to refrain from working? 7Who at any time serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat the fruit of it? Or who tends a flock and does not use the milk of the flock?
8I am not speaking these things according to human judgment, am I? Or does not the Law also say these things? 9For it is written in the Law of Moses, “You shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing.” God is not concerned about oxen, is He? 10Or is He speaking altogether for our sake? Yes, for our sake it was written, because the plowman ought to plow in hope, and the thresher to thresh in hope of sharing the crops. 11If we sowed spiritual things in you, is it too much if we reap material things from you? 12If 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. 13Do you not know that those who perform sacred services eat the food of the temple, and those who attend regularly to the altar have their share from the altar? 14So also the Lord directed those who proclaim the gospel to get their living from the gospel.
1 Corinthians 9:14-18: 14So also the Lord directed those who proclaim the gospel to get their living from the gospel. 15But I have used none of these things. And I am not writing these things so that it will be done so in my case; for it would be better for me to die than have any man make my boast an empty one. 16For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for I am under compulsion; for woe is me if I do not preach the gospel. 17For if I do this voluntarily, I have a reward; but if against my will, I have a stewardship entrusted to me. 18What then is my reward? That, when I preach the gospel, I may offer the gospel without charge, so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel.
1 Thessalonians 2:5-12: 5For we never came with flattering speech, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed– God is witness– 6nor did we seek glory from men, either from you or from others, even though as apostles of Christ we might have asserted our authority. 7But we proved to be gentle among you, as a nursing mother tenderly cares for her own children. 8Having so fond an affection for you, we were well-pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become very dear to us.
9For 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. 10You are witnesses, and so is God, how devoutly and uprightly and blamelessly we behaved toward you believers; 11just as you know how we were exhorting and encouraging and imploring each one of you as a father would his own children, 12so that you would walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.
Acts 20:33-36 (Paul, speaking specifically to elders): 33“I have coveted no one’s silver or gold or clothes. 34You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my own needs and to the men who were with me. 35In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” 36When he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all.
2 Corinthians 11:7-15: 7Or 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? 8I robbed other churches by taking wages from them to serve you; 9and 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. 10As the truth of Christ is in me, this boasting of mine will not be stopped in the regions of Achaia. 11Why? Because I do not love you? God knows I do!
12But what I am doing I will continue to do, so that I may cut off opportunity from those who desire an opportunity to be regarded just as we are in the matter about which they are boasting. 13For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 14No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 15Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds.
Elders (pastors) in God’s Church provide for their own needs, not requiring material gifts of support from the saints.
Elders who heed New Testament instruction support themselves by working in honorable occupations or professions, not burdening the Church for their needs. As men of faith in the secular world elders model the mode of life God calls all to follow. Furthermore, they understand their brothers and sisters and keep watch over their souls, themselves also in the “work a day” world. Elders’ hardworking way of life discourages those who would pretend to bless the saints through ministry but with the ulterior motive of securing an income.
Acts 20:33-36 (Paul, speaking specifically to elders): 33“I have coveted no one’s silver or gold or clothes. 34You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my own needs and to the men who were with me. 35In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.”’ 36When he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all.
2 Thessalonians 3:6-15: 6Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from every brother who leads an unruly life and not according to the tradition which you received from us. 7For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example, because we did not act in an undisciplined manner among you, 8nor 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; 9not because we do not have the right to this, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you, so that you would follow our example. 10For 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. 11For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies. 12Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to work in quiet fashion and eat their own bread.
13But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary of doing good. 14If anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take special note of that person and do not associate with him, so that he will be put to shame. 15Yet do not regard him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.
The Bible says simply, “be eager to serve.” Saints in Peter’s day may have been inclined to hire out “pastoral” services as is common today. Certainly there were elders who expected or demanded payment. However, serving for “filthy lucre” or “sordid gain” contrasts with the Bible’s description of recompense for an honest day’s work.
1 Peter 5:2: ...2shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness;
1 Timothy 5:17,18: 17The elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching. 18For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing,” and “The laborer is worthy of his wages.”
The Bible speaks directly to individual saints to give respect and material gifts to elders He designates. No corporate offerings or organized collections are taken for this purpose. The Lord, Himself, directs this activity as He leads through the Holy Spirit in the specifics of what should be given, to whom, how, and when.
If a saint feels prompted by the Holy Spirit to honor an elder with a material gift, he will check this leading by considering if in fact the elder rules well, laboring diligently in God’s Word and teaching. Satisfied that his leading lines up with the Word of God, he simply obeys with a personal gift or gift through the mail. When he feels led to give material honor again, the second gift follows as simply as the first. Strict secrecy need not apply for the honor shown is not an act of benevolence. Naturally a “show” of one’s generosity should be graciously avoided.