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Bro. Otis Fisher
Am I not an apostle?
Am I not free? Have I not seen Jesus Christ our
Lord? Are not ye my work in the Lord? That sums up chapter 9.
Have I not seen Jesus Christ? Without this he could not have been one of those first grand witnesses.
Are you not my work in the Lord? Full evidence that God hath sent me.
And yet some, it seems, objected to his being an apostle because he had not asserted his privilege in demanding and receiving such maintenance from the churches.
And upon this they said he was not an apostle. If I be not an apostle unto others, yet doubtless
I am to you, for the seal of mine apostleship are ye in the
Lord. They of all people should have realized that he was an apostle.
And for the most part they did. As if he had said here, whatsoever others do, you of all men should not question my apostleship.
For you were converted by it. You confirmed and ratified my ministry that it is of God and that God is in it and of a truth.
The conversion of sinners and the building up of the saints is God's seal of our ministry.
Verse 3, mine answer to them that do examine me is this.
Have we not power to eat and to drink? Have we not power to lead about a sister or wife as well as other apostles and as brethren of the
Lord and Cephas? He points out Peter who evidently had lived with his wife even after he was an apostle.
And that he had no rights as an apostle which were not common to men.
They were common to St. Paul. Or I only and Barnabas have not we power to forbear working.
Who goes to warring any time at his own charges?
Who planteth a vineyard and eateth not of the fruit thereof? Or who feedeth a flock and eateth not of the milk of the flock?
He is putting forth an argument that is self -evident.
That answers its own questions. Would a person plant a vineyard and not partake of the fruit of it?
All these answers are no. Would a man go to war of his own volition?
That he may not seem to burden the apostles he shows that it is just what they do.
By an argument of comparison, seeing that soldiers live by their wages and husbandmen by the fruits of their labors.
And shepherds by that which comes from a flock. Say I these things as a man or sayeth not the law the same thing that was in the law for years and years?
That he that lives by the gospel gets his wages by the gospel.
He has that prerogative. For it is written in the law of Moses thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out her corn.
Doth God take care for the oxen? If the ox, let alone a man, if the ox was not prohibited from eating of the corn as it thrashed it, then a man certainly not muzzles the ox.
The ox had a right to support from those who he labored. And they could not withhold it.
Who required it of them? Take care of the oxen. It is for the sake of the oxen that this precept is given.
That is, oxen alone or is it just the oxen?
No, it's using the oxen as an example. The apostle proceeds to show that the law in question is designed to contain a general principle for the benefit of those who labor in spiritual things.
In that situation, if the members of this church fail to give to their descendants, they fail to find that there are different pastors, in the case of the apostles and their descendants, maybe it would be good as a sin.
Now say it all again. If the members of the congregation, in this case or other cases, were, by the
Lord's act of all, they were required to support all the Levites, the prophets, the priests, and so forth, many generations, this is carried forward into the
New Testament, that they were required to support the ministers, would they be sinned if they did not give to these people how to support them?
They would be sinning if they felt that they should give and they don't. For them to not give when they have opportunity, and when it is laid upon them to do so, they sin.
There's nothing mandatory about it. It is totally free will.
Now, the law of the tithe is no longer demanded.
They paid three tithes. That law was demanded, and they would sin if they did not participate.
But it's not like that in today's world. We should give.
We should give to our pastor. We should give to all of those that lead.
But if they choose to not take that, then there's nothing wrong with that.
Yes. If you feel led to give, yes. Does that answer your question?
If you sin in your heart and you don't confess your letting to give, even if the pastor didn't take it, whereas another person is not convinced to confess in their heart, then that would be quintessentially sinful.
Yes, that's right. There's no rule of the church that they give.
There's no rule in the Bible as such.
It's all a personal thing, yes. Even though Paul and Barnabas here declined, if they were convicted by the
Lord to give, they should give to build up a storehouse for the church, even if Paul and Barnabas didn't.
If they felt led to give. They should. The members of the congregation.
Yes, yes. He's saying even though Barnabas and Paul did not want the money, they still, in their heart, had a desire that they would die in order to bring money, that they still had to give, right, or should.
Well, if you feel led to give, you should give. Yes. Well, when the
Bible says that we're to support our local church, I think that that doesn't mean just a membership.
I think if you come to a church and you don't support it in some way, then you're nothing but a parasite. That's right.
Because you're just feeding off others. David, you want to say something?
Well, I think Diane and Clarence pretty much said what
I was going to say right there at the end. The verse 15 shows that Paul chose not to receive this money, but still, like Trudy said and the
Scriptures say, we are supposed to give to the local church. And if Paul and Barnabas did not, when you read about the ox, we're talking about taking care of the ox's need.
So if there's not a need, then that money can go towards other needs in the local church.
And, you know, so I think to answer your question, yes, you should give as the
Lord leads, because there's always a need for that somewhere in the local church ministry.
Yes. I think one thing that keeps in mind is Paul and Silas were effectively themselves making a gift to the church before him.
When they didn't accept that payment, whatever the report was, and for another person other than Paul and Barnabas to say, okay, well, if Paul and Barnabas made this gift, then
I don't have to make mine. In fact, what they've done is they have begated the gift of Paul and Barnabas, at least to the extent that the church itself,
I don't think they've begated it as far as God's got to go, but what the church has got to have.
We dare not hide behind someone giving. If the pastor chooses to not take, then we cannot say, well, that's a load off my mind, and not give.
That's not the reason you give. You give because you're led to give.
There may be some catastrophe coming that will be needed. So you cannot out -give
God. For sayeth he it altogether for our sakes, for our sakes, no, no doubt, this is written that he that plows should plow in hope, and he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope.
Paul is saying that they had a perfect right to take it. They had a perfect right to use it.
And on the one hand, they could use it, but they chose not to. They chose to work and to not put that burden upon the church.
If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing that we shall reap your carnal things?
If you have been the means of bringing to you the divine gospel, is it too much to ask of you for our substance of living?
He says no, but he didn't choose to. He would work at night.
He would work during the day if he wasn't preaching. His main job was preaching the gospel.
He supported it by working. I think our main job is preaching the gospel.
We support it by various means. If others be partakers of this power over you, are not we rather?
Nevertheless, we have not used this power, but suffer all things, lest we should hinder the gospel of Christ.
Nevertheless, he tells them that himself and Barnabas, although they had this unquestionable liberty, yet they never made use of it, but suffered hunger and thirst, weariness and want, lest in obstructing the course and hindering the progress of the gospel.
It becomes a problem.
It becomes a problem if we let it, to give to the church because the pastor needs it, or not to give because he doesn't need it.
He's just a member of the church. Do you not know that they which minister about holy things live of the things of the temple?
They have had that example. And they which wait at the altar are partakers with the altar.
Under the Old Testament, this was true. Even so hath the Lord ordained that they should, that they which preach the gospel should live at the gospel.
In like manner, says the apostle, it is the Lord's pleasure and appointment now under the gospel,
Matthew 10, 10, Luke 10, 7, that they who preach the word should be maintained for it and not diverted from the work by the cares and business of the world, but have a livelihood from their labor.
But I have used none of these things, neither have I written these things that it should be so done unto me.
For it were better for me to die than that any man should make my glory void.
He was afraid that if they gave him, then they could say that they helped make him.
The apostle was charged by false teachers. It was quite a problem in that church.
The false teachers, the men that had come before and after, took from the church some of them for the wrong reason.
The gospel for his profit and advantage, whereas the glory in the contrary, that he would make the gospel without charge, looking upon it as his great honor, that he could and did preach the gospel freely for sincere ends and not out of sinister respects and professions.
He had rather die by starving and lose his advantage of glory.
Paul takes this position privately. He does not set it down as an example for everybody.
But he says, as for me, I would rather die than to lose the advantage of glory.
For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of. For necessity it laid upon me, yea, worry it.
Woe is unto me if I preach not the gospel. I feel the same way of teaching.
Woe unto me if I don't teach. That's why my present predicament is such a burden to me.
I can't think like I used to. It's coming back, but slow.
I appreciate you waiting on it. Now if I do this thing willingly, that is freely without demanding anything of you for my pains, which
I might do, I have a reward. It's just that simple. That is a special reward from God and may glory in it, but if I preach unwillingly, demanding a maintenance for my pains and refuse to preach without it, all that can be said is this, that a dispensation of the gospel is committed to me, and so in preaching
I only discharge a trust of which I cannot boast or glory. If he took pay for it, then it was just a job.
For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward. But if against my will a dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me, that is my reward then barely that which
I preach the gospel, when I preach the gospel I may make the gospel of Christ without charge, that I abuse not my power in the gospel.
What is my reward then? I think we have a perfect example in our preacher.
He preaches because he wants to, because he has to. He's not paid for it.
Although I am under no obligation to any man, yet I act as if every individual had a particular property in me and as if I were the slave of all the public.
Question, if you don't mind, about the structure of the church. Can you hear me?
Yes. The structure of the church is that it's supposed to be a pastor. I would guess in this day that it was the payment of pastors.
He didn't want to do the work of the Lord. They should be paid far more than they should be paid by the
Lord. Well, you think every pastor should be paid?
Well, no, I'm not saying it's their choice to pay, but I'm saying anyone who works for the church, in that sense, they should be paid, unless they willingly keep following that.
But if it's a job that they say is going to be paid.
I think the church should be willing to pay everybody that works, and everybody that works should not be willing to take it.
Well, that's where I'm coming from. The second choice is
I think that I have a reward if against my will
I've been in front of the stewardship. Then it also applies to people who give, because if we give and expect it because we say we have to, then we don't receive the blessing.
That's right. If we yield because we do it out of obedience to God and hope we won't do it.
That's right. Once again, it comes back to the need, and there have been cases where there are people who have a hard to do the
Lord's work, but if they did and they gave up the job that they had, they couldn't exist financially.
So in cases like that, the church should offer to pay, and they should receive it so that they can be in the
Lord's work rather than be all about the world working, and that's what they think God sent them to do. So it goes back to need.
Those who go ahead and receive the money, as long as it's because of the genuine need to take care of their family, which is part of the faith, he who doesn't is worth an incident.
That's right. And that's good. And then those who don't have the need, if they forego taking it, that's good too.
So it kind of goes back to Diane's answer last week with whatever issue it was we were discussing.
You have to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit, and he will let you know which case should be applied in a specific case.
That's right. Yes? But if we're not giving and having it there for that, then it's not there for the need.
So the primary thing is if we know to do good and we do not do it, it's a sin.
If the Lord asks that we bring our actions obvious, I don't think it's obvious.
I don't think I can do enough. And maybe that's the wrong. I just think everything, my house, my wife,
I have a plan. That plan is this. So in that perspective, in bringing that to the church, when it's there, even if they say they don't want it, it's there when the need comes up for the blessing.
Right? That's right. And I think that's the part I'm trying. Some people think that you're an idolater because you want to give all this.
But if it's in the church, it's there for them. When the need is present, we can do it.
Instead of saying when a need is present, oh my gosh, this person's in trouble or we need to help them, then we have to invest it.
How to do it? Do you understand? But if it's set in there and the Lord lays it on your heart, you just go take it out of your corner of the church.
If a person's sick and you brought a plan to the church and it's set in there and you both feel that someone is in trouble with it, you can take that plan out and take it with them.
But if he's showing you, it's there for him. I think that all gifts should be to the church anonymously.
Everybody that gives should give it unknown. I don't think that Greg ought to write out a check.
Bill ought to write out a check. This is just my own personal feelings and I don't follow it.
But I think all gifts should be given anonymously.
Yes. I think we have a way to accomplish that and still people will be able to give a check.
That is, what we do is we employ a person. As a matter of fact, there's
Mary Ann who used to do this for us. You employ a person who's very discreet and that's the only person who sees those things faster than he can see them.
But I don't want to see too many of them. It's not my business. Some people say it is, but I don't want to see it.
No. Trudy.
Personally, by coming, it would support the church financially. You're foolish if you think that a church can exist in its ministry without support.
God uses people. We have to support the church.
There are people who work up here that don't choose to work out in the world like they deserve.
And we're foolish if we don't think the church needs to exist for the people we need.
That's right. That's right. Yes? I want to say one thing, and it may be out of script text.
I may not have it in French, I can't. But the scripture that says that you see your good works and glorify your
Father which is in heaven. That's the only part of the scripture I remember. The first part may not pertain to giving, but what does he mean by see your good works and glorify your
Father which is in heaven? You're asking?
Yes. It means what we're talking about. Okay. So then if they see your good works, they have to recognize that you're being obedient to God by giving all that you have.
That scripture that you quoted does not mean that you see your good works. No. No. Not me, but that obedience to my love for God.
It's like the woman that took the oil out of the lamp and she took it and she took it in front of everybody and she took the oil and she rubbed it on the
Lord's head and she gave all that she had. They all saw that. And they knew she could have used it for many other things and judged her for that.
But she brought the oil and she rubbed it on the head because she knew she was bringing it to the
Lord. David. What?
Brother Stratton. Somebody over there waved at me.
Oh. All right.
For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all that I might gain the more.
If we're all servants, that's all it takes. Servants to each other, servants to the
Lord. To the
Jews I became as a Jew, conforming myself in all things in their manner of thinking and living so far as I could with innocence.
I like to put in there instead of innocence, my Christian principles allow me to. As under the law observing it myself while I am among them.
Not that he declared this to be his necessity or refused to converse with those who did not observe it.
He himself observed it. And unto the Jews I became as a
Jew that I might gain the Jews to them that are under the law.
As under the law that I might gain them that are under the law.
To them that are without law as without law. Being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ that I might gain them that are without law.
Do you see what he's saying? Do you understand what he's saying,
Greg? Well, they were the
Gentile. So he was a Gentile when he was with them. He was a
Jew when he was with the Jew. He was whoever he was with.
Yes. That's a great thing to think about. Learning to relate to different kinds of people out in the world.
Different kinds of people out in the world. They'll be able to relate to a scientist. They'll be able to relate to an
English teacher. They'll be able to relate to a worker of any kind.
And the more that they can do that, by all that they can do, the more useful they'll be able to work in and witness different situations.
Because when you're witnessing through a lost person, if you can't establish some kind of common ground of interest, they will listen to you anyway.
That's right. And that's a great thing that teaches young people.
That's one of the reasons they have to go to school. Okay. To the weak
I became as weak, that I might gain the weak.
I have made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.
He knew not what he would save or who he would save, but he became as they to all men.
And this I do for the gospel's sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you.
Know ye not that they which run in a race run all but one receiveth the prize?
So run that you may obtain. What's he mean? One in a race.
Bill? Well, I'm not exactly sure.
Everybody is in life. Everybody has a life to live. And as they go through, you should act in a way that indicates to the world that you are different than they are.
And you should try as best you can to follow the laws of God and do those things that Christ has commanded you to do that you may be able to do if you don't participate in the best effort that you somehow ought to do.
All right. He's not talking about salvation. Know ye not that they which run in a race all but one receiveth the prize?
If you'll do that for an earthly prize, if you'll all get together and run a race, you know just one's going to win and receive the crown.
It's not like that in Christianity. But we should all run with the same idea.
And everyone that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things.
Now, they do it to obtain a corruptible crown, but we an incorruptible.
Therefore, so I therefore so run, not as uncertainly, so fight
I not as one that beateth the air, but I keep under my body and bring it into subjection, lest that by any means, when
I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. That has nothing to do with salvation.
I keep my body and bring it into subjection. What's that mean? All right.
All right. When I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.
What's he mean by that, Bill? All right.
I forget what you found out at first. Or cast you away.
What's your body language? What does castaway mean, Greg?
Thrown out. Thrown out? I think, uh, I don't know.
I'd like to say, first, if they don't live by what they preach, if they don't live by what they share,
God, especially the people around them, believe they've been cast away.
How do you answer that, David? Well, in fact, what
I see that happens is that they get caught doing things that they're preaching against.
And the sad thing is, in every generation of this one, they would have been cast away, but they're still at it.
So, that gives us a sign of the times, I think. Paul was,
I think, talking before, in terms of before, that if you can get the ultimate power from the end, that's when a man does have a heart after God.
That's the same. That's the same thing, because in God's eyes, that man is already not a witness.
And so he's not. God, according to what the
Lord has said, he cannot do that now. In his own pride, he decided to go ahead and still do it.
All right. Yes. That's right.
Anything else? I have to look at this one. All right.
This is related to the pastor, which I agree with.
That's right. That if the pastor doesn't himself obey those same laws that he is preaching, then he will become isolated from his flock, and he'll no longer have a
Catholic against the state. That's happened to a lot of pastors. They now have this huge flock and it becomes apparent that they're not practicing what they're preaching, and then suddenly they are, and they've lost contact.
It's one of the reinforcements they might have had on those people. But in today's world, they can wait a while and come back.
Well, I want to say one more thing. Yes. On that topic we brought up about the tithing and giving to the church's debt,
I don't know what... If I offended anyone, I want you to know it was not to them. We had this whole discussion in the car.
So it was very important for me to get in my car what was right about what we should do.
And I offended Bill, who you can't offend at all, so I'm sure I can offend half of you by that same discussion.
So I want you to know that we discussed it all the way here and we were even late in the process.
So that was just to get it right in our heart and hopefully that it's right in the church's heart that all of us believe knowing what the
Lord requires of us. Because we don't think about it all the time.
He doesn't want sacrifice. He wants obedience to his God. And so it's not a sacrifice to give him this.
He just wants us to be obedient to him and if he's telling us things, we have to do them. And I knew you.
I knew you had discussed it ahead of time. You couldn't have been that fool without it.
We have to remember that Paul was writing this to the local church.
Therefore, these principles are not only for the pastors. They primarily themselves as an example.
As a pastor, evangelist, apostle, everything that he was.
But he's also teaching the principle to everyone who's saved that you can be, that there can be a time where you lose your testimony, your witness, or the power of your witness and God will set you aside in that way if you are not living the very thing that you're telling everyone that they need to have.
So it flies across the board and I think we can think back at a certain time and think of a layman who lost the power of God in their life too and all of a sudden their life was shallow and there was nothing to it.
They just made money and spent it on themselves and there is just no purpose in their life anymore because they lost their witness.
Any other thing from anybody? ...
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Today was a beautiful day, and it blessed each and every one of us in our study of the world, understanding the wisdom that we apply to our lives on a day -to -day basis, for the lives of children through the actions of the flesh, that we can be all beings, all people, with the understanding that this is your work, you're doing your work, you know, and not compromise
God's Word, or bid in a way that's not going to be a model, but a way to put your intentions toward this process, and just let each one go in service, and bless those who pass through those steps.