Chapter 9
V1-4 Paul next addresses the welfare of the elders of the ecclesia and the responsibility of the members to maintain their upkeep. He asks a series of rhetorical questions to qualify his much-deserved title as an apostolos/delegate of Yeshua, whom he physically saw on the road to Damascus Acts ch 9. The Corinthian ecclesia established by Paul was further proof of his qualification as an apostle of Yeshua, meaning he was entitled to be looked after by the ecclesia, food and drink being the bare necessities he felt he deserved.
V5-6 Furthermore, like the other apostles, such as the brothers of Yeshua and Simon Peter/Cephas/Kefa, Paul felt he and Barnabas had the authority to travel with their wives or sisters whilst ministering, and not only so but surely he and Barnabas were also entitled to give up their day jobs to concentrate on full time ministry cf Acts 18:2-3, 20:33-34; 1 Cor 4:12; 1 Thes 2:9; 2 Thes 3:8. From the succeeding verses, it is clear that other apostles and their wives or sisters were having their expenses covered by the congregation.
V7 Another series of rhetorical questions are presented to the Corinthian ecclesia further expressing their duty to look after their ministers, who toil for their sake. As much as a soldier does not pay his way into a war, nor a husbandman be deprived of the fruit of his vineyard, not to mention a herdsman expectant of the milk of his flock, so also should a minister of a congregation be entitled to some form of remuneration from the congregation he tends to.
V8-9 Paul then quotes scripture to justify his and other apostles’ entitlement to being taken care of by the congregation cf Deut 25:4.
V10 It is totally scriptural for those who work for the congregation to be remunerated for their services. It is a shame however that such honourable verses in scripture have been used by avaricious clergymen to enrich themselves gratuitously, ostentatiously parading their ill-gotten wealth without shame.
V11 Despite these charlatans who desecrate the sanctity of these scriptural customs, we should not deny those who bless us with spiritual teachings that are eternal, with our temporary physical blessings. Simple upkeep of those who give up their lives to enrich us spiritually is incumbent upon us, provided the recipient is genuinely a minister of Elohim and not merely a fraudster after filthy lucre. Judging by their fruits is a simple litmus test to be employed in such matters. Those who persistently preach tithing and barely focus on building others spiritually are readily detectable, whereby not much discernment is required.
V12 Despite being more than worthy of the congregations financial blessing in return for his undying service to them, having established the ecclesia, and led them to converting to Christianity, and incessantly ministered to them, Paul and Barnabas still counted their earthly, fleeting physical blessings but dung, and preferred a life of poverty, in order not to ever be suspected of seeking financial gain, over his genuine mission to win souls.
I am encouraged by Paul to follow suit and never wish to gain financially from sharing these commentaries with you dear beloved. The Gospel of Messiah must never be compromised by financial greed, lest it be ridiculed by those not foolish enough to see through such agendas. Many a potential Christian and soul won for the Kingdom of Elohim, has been lost by the deeds of prosperity gospel churches, which have painted Christianity as a fraudulent business, leading such potential souls for Messiah to explore less scandalous religions which do not demand money to be accepted in their sectors cf Rom 2:23-24.
V13-14 Furthermore, Paul cited the Levitical priestly customs of Torah that gave provision for the partakers to feed off the sacrifices offered, as remuneration for their services e.g. Lev 6:15-16,25-26; Num 18:8-10. If priests were to benefit for their services, so also should stewards and ministers of Elohim in the ecclesia be entitled to live of the gospel as Messiah had clearly told Paul to preach as an ordained custom. The operative word is ‘live’. Paul did not say Yeshua ordained that such must be wealthy of the gospel, but rather seek sustenance to enable them to minister ever the more. It is important to note that in all examples given i.e. oxen treading corn, priests serving in temples and so on, none of these examples exhibited a life of glamour, fame and riches, as is seen of greedy self-proclaimed prophets, apostles and ministers of Messiah in mega churches that have openly and shamefully used Messiah’s name in vain for worldly gain.
V15 Paul had to be amongst the most genuine and dedicated ministers of the gospel, who cared not for this earthly life, and lived it solely to gain souls for the Kingdom of Elohim by any means necessary. One would have thought that his narrative was veiled piety craftily bent on seeking material gain from the ecclesia, through working on their guilty conscience. He preferred death however, than to be perceived as seeking material gain from the preaching of the gospel. Oh, if only such a life had been ordained as absolutely the sole means of preaching truth, how many a false Christian establishment would shut down, paving way for a true revival led by faithful servants of Yah.
V16 If anything the reality was that Paul had no evidence of material gain from preaching the gospel. Quite the contrary Paul felt it a call of duty to preach the gospel, one which if ignored, would rather bring distress and woe upon him cf Acts 26:14-18. If ministers of Elohim today could fearfully serve our Messiah as bondservants, following their master’s orders without question, how great a gospel would be preached in our day, and what great abundance of souls would potentially be won for the kingdom of Elohim, to the detriment of that of Satan cf Lk 17:7-10. We need to serve Yeshua with wilful hearts, and not for gain. If only Christians of today would realize that the great commission of Matt 28:19-20 was not a request but a commandment, one to be taken with a fearful outlook if ignored.
Would not the churches of today wake up with a jolt from their slumber if such urgency was preached unto them? Oh, dear reader I pray that you will cease sitting on your laurels, and leap into action from this day on, with great trepidation of the consequences that await refusal to answer such a dire call from our Saviour, who shall judge us one day according to our deeds. Do not be that foolish servant who had his talent taken away and was sent to the flaming pit of hell Matt 25:25-30. Let us not fool ourselves, not all professed Christians shall enter the kingdom of heaven, now is the time to act. Material benefits should not be our goal, and should the ecclesia be true in spirit, they should be prudent enough to maintain the upkeep of their ministers without needing to be prodded into doing so.
V17-18 Should one wilfully serve Messiah, and fulfil the great commission, then he is to expect great rewards at the bema seat judgement. Paul’s view of his earthly reward would in most instances be viewed as loss. He basked in the glory of preaching the gospel freely, without expectation of earthly gain. Surely the pulpit would be less crowded were this disposition to be ordained in the churches of today! It is virtually impossible for a preacher to abuse the power of his office, should he not expect worldly gain, but rather the souls of men for Messiah. If a believer sees the great commission as a task instead, then it will indeed feel as if an oikonomia/administration is pisteuo/entrusted upon him, rendering the purpose of the commission futile, should it be viewed as a burden rather than a duty unto your beloved Master cf Phil 3:7-8.
V19 Despite being a freeman Paul chose to be a doulos/bondservant to mankind, with the intention of winning souls through serving them for no pay. This is the highest call that one can make to be most effective in winning souls for Messiah. No other method can supersede giving up your soul for your brethren in order to bring them into the fold of Yeshua cf Jn 15:13-note the word psuche/soul is wrongfully translated life in this passage of Jn 15:13. Paul exemplified this statement of Yeshua, through his ceaseless quest to spread the gospel worldwide without charge.
V20 Paul heeded Yeshua’s advice to be wise as serpents yet harmless as doves Matt 10:16. Satan is the quintessential master of artifice. As Christians seeking deliverance of those souls trapped in his sphere of delusion, we must use as much cunning as possible within the boundaries of the Torah, to out-manoeuvre him guided by the Holy Spirit, whose power far exceeds his, or lack thereof. In the company of the Jews and those under Torah, yet not believing in Yeshua as Messiah, Paul became as them in order to utilize all opportunities to bring them to truth cf Acts 19:1-8, Acts 21:20-26.
V21 It is vitally important to read this verse carefully as Torah detractors leap at it, twist it and falsely use it as proof that Torah was abolished. Yet Paul clearly states that he mingled with the Gentiles, who were unaware of Torah, and preached the gospel for them to be wooed to Messiah’s redemptive power, all done within the confines of Torah. I personally have attended Messianic sermons where a Torah abiding preacher narrated how he went to Ukraine, and entered an impoverished family’s home. He intended to preach the gospel to these non-believers of the former communist Soviet Union.
They offered him dinner from their bare rations, being pork fat. He quoted this verse to justify eating that pork, in order not to offend them, in the hope of winning them for Messiah. It was such a disturbing testimony, to see how he misinterpreted scripture, and chose to wilfully break Torah, under the delusion that he was doing Messiah justice. He could have chosen a myriad of reasons to pass the meal without offending them, and could even better have preached Torah if need be at a later date once the family was converted, teaching them once mature enough of the dietary laws. Paul categorically stated that he did not defy Torah whatsoever, remaining within its boundaries, when living amongst the Gentile audiences that he preached to.
V22-23 Paul reached out to all sectors of society including the weak, impotent or feeble by any means necessary to win but one soul for Messiah. This Paul did to fulfil the great commission of Yeshua. To be a good and faithful servant, one has to live a life of soul-winning for the kingdom of Elohim. Life is a race that most are oblivious of. This race is for salvation which is given to those who have completed their walk in righteousness. Not all Christians, who are redeemed and justified by believing in Messiah at the outset, necessarily finish the race of life unto salvation. It is a frightening reality that most shall possibly end up in the lake of fire, having failed to remain on the narrow path that leads to salvation.
V24-25 Paul then uses an analogy of our Christian walk with that of one in a race for a coveted prize, which only a few may win. It is critical that we take this life seriously, and give no room for the world of darkness to trip us up, but rather remain viciously focused on obeying the laws of Elohim, led by the Holy Spirit, to the bitter end. In verse 25 agonizomai translated ‘striveth for the mastery’ is in modern English ‘one who enters a contest or fight’. Such a person, Paul says is enkrateuomai/self-controlled in all aspects, yet do so for a perishable crown. How much more self-disciplined we surely should be more than anything else in life, concerning our Christian walk which has eternal rewards that await us-scarier still determining whether we spend eternity in bliss or in hellfire.
V26-27 Self-discipline means denying oneself of carnal pleasures, the lusts thereof which lead to sin unto death. Many tend to go with the flow, following any wind of doctrine that blows their way, forever bewildered and uncertain of their standing in Messiah’s eyes. As pious as Paul was, he was under no illusion that he was immune to temptation leading to sin. He lived his life with fear and trembling of the prospect of losing the plot at any moment in time before the end of his walk, which could deny him salvation, despite all the good deeds he had done thus far. Our daily bread, the Holy Bible is our manual to be personally studied daily in prayer and rejoicing, in order for us to understand the enemy that lies before us, and to be armed spiritually in battle, with only one outcome in mind-victory unto salvation and eternal life that awaits all saints faithful to the end.