Okay. He’s done it. Paul has stopped preaching and started
meddling. People say that to me all the time, so I thought I would take a shot
at it. Here’s my point. You can tell a man how to live and how to act, and for
the most part, he will listen to you. He might even engage you in a
conversation/debate. Certainly he would respond to questions. But start talking
about his money and you begin to get too personal. I’ve heard it said that most
men will talk to you about the most intimate details of their lives, but when
you breach the subject of his money, he clams up tightly. However, money is an
important matter for all of us and especially for pastors. Financial problems
are second only to sexual misconduct as the reason for ministerial failures. So
Paul said that the pastor must not be “greedy for money” or “covetous.”
Understand, some of the different translations don’t include the first phrase,
but they should. It is vitally important that the minister have an
understanding of this qualification. It is so important that I believe our
seminaries should require every student to go through at least one class on the
subject!
Here is the truth: pastors must be motivated by their love
for God and His people – not money! A pastor who enters the ministry for money
is not only an idiot, but also he reveals a heart that is set on the world, not
on the things of God. When I am interviewing candidates for a position on the
church staff, if they bring up salary at the beginning of the process, I mark
them off of my list. Don’t get me wrong. I know that the minister is worthy of
his hire, and that even pastors need money to survive. I gather from my studies
of the Old Testament that the priests lived quiet well, and I don’t believe
that the early church ministers were cheated out of an income either. But when
the money aspect is a priority to the pastor, something is wrong in that man’s
life. Again, don’t misunderstand. I’m not one who believes that it is the
church’s responsibility to keep the pastor poor and humble. I personally think
that the church should bless all of their ministers financially, but it must
not be the pastor’s priority.
There are practical applications for this qualification as well.
First, you see, a greedy, covetous pastor will most probably not handle the
church’s finances appropriately. In the early days of the church, it was the
pastor’s responsibility to handle the money and to make sure it was used in the
best way possible. False prophets/teachers/pastors often took advantage of this
situation to line their own pockets to the detriment of the church. Ministry
does not take place, and the church loses its trust for the pastor, and members
stop giving. Second, a greedy, covetous pastor is not going to set the example
for gracious giving. God tells us over and over again that he loves a cheerful
giver. He wants us to give freely to His church and to the needs of others. If
a pastor expects his people to open their hearts and their purses to the needy,
he must do the same. In fact, when there is a true need, he should be first in
line to help. If he is greedy and covetous, that will never happen.
No comments:
Post a Comment