You Shall Not Muzzle An Ox: 1 Corinthians 9

klutedavid

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1 Corinthians 9:
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,
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
temple, and those who serve at the altar partake of the altar?
14 Even so the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel
should live from the gospel.

Do you think that this passage can be used, as it often is, to justify
becoming wealthy as a Christian preacher, teacher, author, lecturer,
or conference speaker? In other words, gaining wealth directly from
The Gospel?
Somehow I don't think there are many wealthy Christian ministers out there. Nearly every Christian minister I have ever known, works during the week to support their family.

There are some very large churches and there are some wealthy ministers. But they are few and far between.
 
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Strong in Him

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is a pastor of a congregation entitled to make a living as his fulltime vocation ?

Making a living to support himself and family; yes.
Owning several houses/cars/planes, designer clothes etc; no.
 
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Tree of Life

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I think the passage justifies a person making a living from gospel work. Gospel work is legitimate work that deserves a wage. If a gospel worker stewards their money very well, they could become wealthy over their lifetime. I do not think that pastor’s salaries should be exorbitant, but if a pastor happens to write a best seller then I don’t have a problem with him making money from it.
 
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Andrewn

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I think the passage justifies a person making a living from gospel work. Gospel work is legitimate work that deserves a wage. If a gospel worker stewards their money very well, they could become wealthy over their lifetime. I do not think that pastor’s salaries should be exorbitant, but if a pastor happens to write a best seller then I don’t have a problem with him making money from it.
The question in my mind is how much money is enough for one's ego? And how much do we keep for ourselves before giving the rest to the needy?

Kenneth Copeland Net worth: $300 million
Joel & Victoria Osteen Net worth: $200 million
Pat Robertson Net worth: $100 million
Benny Hinn Net worth: $60 million

I'm not talking about income at all. We can make 10's of millions-a-year and glorify God with our earnings. I'm talking about "net worth." How much wealth we accumulate. The list goes on and on and it's rather simple to check the net worth of your favorite preachers.
 
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Tree of Life

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The question in my mind is how much money is enough for one's ego? And how much do we keep for ourselves before giving the rest to the needy?

Kenneth Copeland Net worth: $300 million
Joel & Victoria Osteen Net worth: $200 million
Pat Robertson Net worth: $100 million
Benny Hinn Net worth: $60 million

I'm not talking about income at all. We can make 10's of millions-a-year and glorify God with our earnings. I'm talking about "net worth." How much wealth we accumulate. The list goes on and on and it's rather simple to check the net worth of your favorite preachers.

Let's just consider the vast majority of preachers. Sure, celebrity preachers (who probably make up less than 1% of preachers) have exorbitant net worths. But most preachers like me make a fairly humble salary.
 
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