Spiritual Planting and Spiritual Harvest Pay the Preacher (Wow! can you believe I said that?) Galatians 6:6-10

6 Anyone who receives instruction in the word must share all good things with his instructor. 7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8 The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. 9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

6 Ἀ δελφοί, ἐὰ ν κα ὶ προλημφθ ῇ ἄ νθρωπος ἔ ν τινι παραπτώματι, ὑ με ῖ ς ο ἱ πνευματικο ὶ καταρτίζετε τ ὸ ν τοιο ῦ τον ἐ ν πνεύματι πραΰτητος, σκοπ ῶ ν σεαυτ ὸ ν μ ὴ κα ὶ σ ὺ πειρασθ ῇ ς. 2 Ἀ λλήλων τ ὰ βάρη βαστάζετε κα ὶ ο ὕ τως ἀ ναπληρώσετε τ ὸ ν νόμον το ῦ Χριστο ῦ. 3 ε ἰ γ ὰ ρ δοκε ῖ τις ε ἶ ναί τι μηδ ὲ ν ὤ ν, φρεναπατ ᾷ ἑ αυτόν. 4 τ ὸ δ ὲ ἔ ργον ἑ αυτο ῦ δοκιμαζέτω ἕ καστος, κα ὶ τότε ε ἰ ς ἑ αυτ ὸ ν μόνον τ ὸ καύχημα ἕ ξει κα ὶ ο ὐ κ ε ἰ ς τ ὸ ν ἕ τερον· 5 ἕ καστος γ ὰ ρ τ ὸ ἴ διον φορτίον βαστάσει. 6 Κοινωνείτω δ ὲ ὁ κατηχούμενος τ ὸ ν λόγον τ ῷ κατηχο ῦ ντι ἐ ν π ᾶ σιν ἀ γαθο ῖ ς. 7 Μ ὴ πλαν ᾶ σθε, θε ὸ ς ο ὐ μυκτηρίζεται. ὃ γ ὰ ρ ἐὰ ν σπείρ ῃ ἄ νθρωπος, το ῦ το κα ὶ θερίσει· 8 ὅ τι ὁ σπείρων ε ἰ ς τ ὴ ν σάρκα ἑ αυτο ῦ ἐ κ τ ῆ ς σαρκ ὸ ς θερίσει φθοράν, ὁ δ ὲ σπείρων ε ἰ ς τ ὸ πνε ῦ μα ἐ κ το ῦ πνεύματος θερίσει ζω ὴ ν α ἰ ώνιον. 9 τ ὸ δ ὲ καλ ὸ ν ποιο ῦ ντες μ ὴ ἐ γκακ ῶ μεν, καιρ ῷ γ ὰ ρ ἰ δί ῳ θερίσομεν μ ὴ ἐ κλυόμενοι. 10 Ἄ ρα ο ὖ ν ὡ ς καιρ ὸ ν ἔ χομεν, ἐ ργαζώμεθα τ ὸ ἀ γαθ ὸ ν πρ ὸ ς πάντας, μάλιστα δ ὲ πρ ὸ ς το ὺ ς ο ἰ κείους τ ῆ ς πίστεως. 11 Ἴ δετε πηλίκοις ὑ μ ῖ ν γράμμασιν ἔ γραψα τ ῇ ἐ μ ῇ χειρί. 12 Ὅ σοι θέλουσιν ε ὐ προσωπ ῆ σαι ἐ ν σαρκί, ο ὗ τοι ἀ ναγκάζουσιν ὑ μ ᾶ ς περιτέμνεσθαι, μόνον ἵ να τ ῷ σταυρ ῷ το ῦ Χριστο ῦ μ ὴ διώκωνται. 13 ο ὐ δ ὲ γ ὰ ρ ο ἱ

I. The whole paragraph is speaking of paying the teacher. A. All the Greek texts show verse 6-10 as a paragraph. B. All exegetical commentaries explain verse 6-10 as one unit, all verses referring to the reward of paying the teacher, or the consequences of not paying the teacher: –1. Not paying the teacher is “drawing up the nostrils” and sneering at God in contempt (mocking).

2. Not Paying the teacher is “sewing to the flesh”. You will reap destruction: –Phillippians 3:17: 17 Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you. 18 For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. 20 But our citizenship is in heaven. –The Pattern the apostles gave:

I Corinthians 9:6 Or is it only I and Barnabas who must work for a living? 7 Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its grapes? Who tends a flock and does not drink of the milk? 8 Do I say this merely from a human point of view? Doesn’t the Law say the same thing? 9 For it is written in the Law of Moses: “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.” Is it about oxen that God is concerned? 10 Surely he says this for us, doesn’t he? Yes, this was written for us, because when the plowman plows and the thresher threshes, they ought to do so in the hope of sharing in the harvest. 11 If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you? 12 If others have this right of support from you, shouldn’t we have it all the more?

3.Not paying the teacher is a sign of “growing weary” in the work. This literally means “to slacken the grip”. We slacken the grip on God’s work when we: 1.Cause the teacher to divide his energies 2.Do not provide adequate resources for the programs of the church 3.Require a Master’s Degree, but do not pay for it. 4.Negotiate the lowest costs for the church as if it were a normal business

4.Not Paying the Teacher is failing to take “Every Opportunity” God gives us to do good. Opportunities to pay the teacher: 1. pay their moving expenses when they come 2. pay their health insurance 3. pay their travel expenses 4. pay their continuing education 5. pay them at least the average income of the top 10 tithing members in your congregation 6. pay their housing allowances and utilities. 7. pay their social security one-half, & retirement plan 8. pay their unemployment and disability insurance 9. you would want to do this for “all men”, so why not for the teachers in the “household of faith”?

II. We need to learn to Trust the Lord, and do good. Ps 37 Trust in the Lord with ALL your heart. Make Him your PORTION: bitterness—the Lord is my Guide, Judge and Redeemer moral impurity—the Lord is my Pleasure, Beauty, and Deliverer temporal values—the Lord is my Security, Safety, and Provider

You may think that you have to “save up” from the general fund, or “cut back” from the missions fund to do the expansion projects of the church. You would be surprised how much money would suddenly be “cut loose” from the bank accounts of individuals in the church for the church’s expansion needs if you would first “Pay the Preacher.” Wow! I can’t believe I am saying this!

Questions about Spiritual Sewing and Reaping Has our church’s slow progress been attributable to the “destruction” we have reaped by failing to Pay God’s Servants? Do you need to learn to Trust the Lord as your PORTION? Is He your Security? Your Safety? Your Provider? Do you prove this by tithing from your income to His work? Or, do you worry, fret, and hoard? * Have you experienced God’s Miraculous Provisions as an individual? As a church?