March 1, 2024
Building People of Substance for Works of Power
A Song of Ascents. Of David. I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go into the house of the LORD.”
Psalms 122:1 NKJV
David was bold in expressing his joy at going to the house of the Lord. At the time of his reign, the Temple had not yet been built. David’s temporary tent on Mount Zion housed the Ark of the Covenant. After David’s death, Solomon built the Temple, the House of the Lord. It was there that the Ark resided, sacrifices were offered, and the people gathered for feasts. Jacob first mentions the “house of God” in Genesis 28 as a place where he had a personal encounter, heard from Heaven, built an altar, and made a vow to tithe. Throughout the Old Testament, the term was used to refer to a place where God’s Presence dwelt, where He met with His people.
We get a taste of the joy of that Presence when we gather with other believers to worship, bring our offerings, and feed on His Word. He left us a guarantee that He will be with us in those moments (Matthew 18:20). Paul left little doubt that he saw the local assembly as the New Creation house of God:
These things I write to you, though I hope to come to you shortly; (15) but if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.
1 Timothy 3:14-15
The local church is God’s instrument for discipling believers. It’s a place for corporate worship, united prayer, and mutual encouragement to continue in the faith. It’s a place of God’s manifest presence In the midst of His people. Through these things, God prepares the church to demonstrate His love and carry His Message to the world.
Under the Law of Moses, God provided for the support of the priests and Levites through the tithe. The tithe also provided for the necessary expenses of the temple and all the food and materials needed for the feast days. He had a built-in plan to take care of His house and its functions.
In establishing the Church, God created an organization that He knew would be worldwide. This new entity would be maintained and expanded primarily by well-trained volunteers and would face overwhelming opposition. He considered the Church so precious that He paid for it with His own blood (Acts 20:28). I find it hard to believe that He would not have a plan to provide for its expenses.
Galatians 6:6 suggests supporting church teachers by sharing good things with them. The next verse links this provision to the eternal principle of sowing and reaping. This principle is found before the Law and under the Law. When Paul appeals for financial support of the gospel and its ministers, he consistently cites concepts found under the Law. Note the examples in First Corinthians chapter 9:
(6) Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to refrain from working? (7) Who ever goes to war at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its fruit? Or who tends a flock and does not drink of the milk of the flock? (8) Do I say these things as a mere man? Or does not the law say the same also? (9) For it is written in the law of Moses, “YOU SHALL NOT MUZZLE AN OX WHILE IT TREADS OUT THE GRAIN.” Is it oxen God is concerned about? (10) Or does He say it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written, that he who plows should plow in hope, and he who threshes in hope should be partaker of his hope. (11) If we have sown spiritual things for you, is it a great thing if we reap your material things? (12) If others are partakers of this right over you, are we not even more? Nevertheless we have not used this right, but endure all things lest we hinder the gospel of Christ. (13) Do you not know that those who minister the holy things eat of the things of the temple, and those who serve at the altar partake of the offerings of the altar? (14) Even so the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel.
1 Corinthians 9:6-14
- V. 7 He compares ministry to soldiers who go to war at the expense of the king they serve. He then uses the agricultural image of one who tends a vineyard: they eat the grapes. This is a clear connection to the instruction to Pastor Timothy, “The hardworking farmer must be first to partake of the crops” (2 Timothy 2:6}. In his third illustration, he connects ministers to shepherds, those whom God has assigned to ‘shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood’ (Acts 20:28b).
- Vv. 8-9 He appeals to the Law of Moses to prove that what he is saying is more than just human opinion. He speaks for God. He compares the minister to a beast of burden, quoting Deuteronomy 25:4: “You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain.” If you want to eat, feed your preacher!
- Vv. 10-11 He points out that God is more concerned with the well-being of those who minister to His people than with oxen. To use another agricultural example, the farmer who plows and threshes expects to eat from the fruits of his labor. It is our responsibility to provide for the physical needs of those who sow spiritual things in our lives. (Romans 15:7; Galatians 6:6-8)
- Vv. 12 Paul lets them know that he had every right to expect them to support him. The only reason he did not require them to contribute to his support was out of concern for their souls. They were spiritual babies (see 1 Corinthians 3:1-3), and he didn’t want to offend them.
- Vv. 13-14 He concludes his argument with a direct appeal to the Law of Moses. Priests and Levites, the caretakers of the local assemblies and the keepers of the sacrificial ordinances, did not inherit property under the Law. They were supported by the tithes of the people they served. This command is repeated for the New Creation assembly of believers: “Even so the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should live by the gospel.”
There is a continuity and connection between the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament Church. Using natural parallels and principles from the Old Covenant, Paul shows how we are to care for the ministry. If we don’t feed the ox, it will become weary and weak and unable to tread the corn. It’s a practical reality that pastors are better able to feed the sheep when their physical needs are met through the ministry. They have time for prayer and study.
Writing to Pastor Timothy, his beloved son in the faith, Paul addresses the issue of support for those who teach the Word. After a lengthy discussion on how to allocate resources for widows, he addresses caring for church leaders.
Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and doctrine. (18) For the Scripture says, “YOU SHALL NOT MUZZLE AN OX WHILE IT TREADS OUT THE GRAIN,” and, “THE LABORER IS WORTHY OF HIS WAGES.”
1 Timothy 5:17-18
This letter is filled with instructions to Timothy about his responsibilities to the Lord and to the people he leads. The three focuses of a shepherd’s job are to rule, to study, and to teach. It definitely takes work. When an elder works in all three areas, he should receive double honor. The word “honor” includes the idea of financial reward. Lest they miss the point, Paul reaches back to Moses to emphasize that the ox must be fed and the laborer paid wages (Deut. 24:14-15). The word “worthy” means that a person deserves something. The argument is that the elder is one who works, and that workers are worthy or deserving of their wages.
Here’s the point: The New Testament local church is the gathering of God’s people for worship, mutual support, and instruction in sound doctrine and holy living. God wants to provide for the needs of the church, including the support of the leaders He has placed there. How is this to be done?
From Jacob’s first mention of the house of God through the various manifestations in the Law of Moses, the tithe was associated with worshiping God and maintaining the place and the staff of the house. The early church would certainly have understood this. When the apostles encouraged “wages” and “honor” for those who teach us the Word and watch over our souls (Hebrews 13:7, 16-17), they understood that tithing was still a part of it. When they used Old Covenant references to priests, Levites, oxen, and laborers to bring their argument to the level of “thus saith the Lord,” all doubt was removed. Now we can enthusiastically join the with Nehemiah in declaring, “we will not neglect the house of our God” (Nehemiah 10:39b).
Pastor Virgil
3141 W. Ironwood Hill Dr.
Tucson, AZ 85741
Complete Class: “The Tithe. An 8-hour course focused on God’s plan and purpose in the tithe. The videos and course outline are available free of charge on the FCF Tucson YouTube channel.
pastorvirgil.com 