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lismore

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Hello!

A lady young in the faith asked me sincerely why churches/ fellowships must pay a license fee to be able to sing 'Christian' songs? She asked why they didn't write the songs just as an act of service, she didn't understand why the writer needed recognition and re-numeration to write songs.

Any thoughts?

God Bless :)
 

sfs

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Pretty much for the same reason that Christian auto mechanics don't usually fix cars for free as an act of service. The money to pay the bills has to come from somewhere.
 
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lismore

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Pretty much for the same reason that Christian auto mechanics don't usually fix cars for free as an act of service. The money to pay the bills has to come from somewhere.

Hello Post. On the other hand I met an old Christian guy on the Island of Iona in the Summer singing and playing the accordion, many of the songs his own compositions. He looked to be of much more limited means than many of the TV ministries and yet he was adamant that he would not take any money for his gospel witness.

I must admit I found it heart warming that believers still compose gospel songs and sing them without requiring money for it.

God Bless
 
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Hello Post. On the other hand I met an old Christian guy on the Island of Iona in the Summer singing and playing the accordion, many of the songs his own compositions. He looked to be of much more limited means than many of the TV ministries and yet he was adamant that he would not take any money for his gospel witness.

I must admit I found it heart warming that believers still compose gospel songs and sing them without requiring money for it.

God Bless
This is refreshing.

After Paul cited the Law of Moses, saying, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,” in 1 Corinthians 9:9 and went on to defend the right of Barnabas and himself to reap material benefits (food and drink) for sowing spiritual things, he said in 1 Corinthians 9:12:

If others share this rightful claim on you, do not we even more? Nevertheless, we have not made use of this right, but we endure anything rather than put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ.
Paul again asserted, "the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel" (v. 14), but followed that up by saying in 1 Corinthians 9:15-18:

But I have made no use of any of these rights, nor am I writing these things to secure any such provision. For I would rather die than have anyone deprive me of my ground for boasting. For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward, but if not of my own will, I am still entrusted with a stewardship. What then is my reward? That in my preaching I may present the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel.
I have also known people who write hymns without making money off of them, and even ministers of the gospel who don't make money off of preaching. These songwriters and preachers hold other jobs to earn a living for themselves and their families. So many churches and individuals have become corrupt and end up perverting the gospel when money becomes involved. The material things Paul referred to when saying ministers of the gospel had been given the right to profit from their spiritual endeavors were food and drink. Basic needs.

Those who benefit spiritually from those in the ministry should look out for their welfare and provide for their needs if they are wanting in anything. But, the only money collected in the New Testament churches was for distribution to the needy saints (which would include apostles). There were no preacher salaries, etc. There is a thread on this forum addressing this issue.
 
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Hello!

A lady young in the faith asked me sincerely why churches/ fellowships must pay a license fee to be able to sing 'Christian' songs? She asked why they didn't write the songs just as an act of service, she didn't understand why the writer needed recognition and re-numeration to write songs.

Any thoughts?

God Bless :)

Hello Lismore,

I think it is a delicate balance really, it seems to be a uniquely Christian happenstance that everything should be free.

That seems to be especially true with talents and abilities that other find value in, enough to use.

That never made sense to me as a business woman.

How are christian artist and authors supposed to provide for themselves and their families, if their time and talents are supposed to be given away?

Just seems strange to me personally.

Sweetness in
 
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SwordmanJr

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1 Corinithians 9:9: For it is written in the Law of Moses, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain.”

Unfortunately, there are those who assume that all those standing behind pulpits are oxen as opposed to wolves in sheep's clothing....

When they fail to raise up their followers to greater spiritual stature, they are doing little more than perpetuating their man-made careers.
 
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SwordmanJr

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...1 Corinthians 9:15-18:

But I have made no use of any of these rights, nor am I writing these things to secure any such provision. For I would rather die than have anyone deprive me of my ground for boasting. For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward, but if not of my own will, I am still entrusted with a stewardship. What then is my reward? That in my preaching I may present the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel.​


So many miss the things Paul said in these verses. He considered well the implications behind what we see going on within churchianity. Ministers expecting a paying career as remuneration for them to constantly come up with new sermons on some of the same topics spoken on already by so many others. It's tough being a preacher who can come up with something new and novel. Some go so far as to preach blasphemous falsehoods, like Copeland and others.

The Gospel is not every topic in the Bible. Christ Jesus is the centrality of the Gospel. It is all about Him, not what David did with another man's wife he saw bathing on an adjacent roof. I've heard sermons that make that imagery into just another Soap Opera, with sordid details splattered throughout to enhance the drama.

When folks know the Gospel, they should be encouraged to GROW in that, sprout their wings, and fly, helping others to know and understand the Gospel, and to grow as well; learning what it is to be well grounded in the faith rather than just another passive audience member. Considering how many of our youth are going to universities and coming out of them atheists, that only shines a more glaring light upon the institutional system's chronic failures, along with all their failed ministerial staffing that were hired and paid to do a job they clearly were not qualified nor called by God to perform. Far too many of them don't take seriously the warning that those who teach will be judged DOUBLY. That has fallen on many a deaf ear through the centuries.

Jr.​
 
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