Should a Pastor, Pastor a Church for free

[Pastor Lorenzo Edwards]

Should a pastor that spends most of his time preaching and teaching get paid for what God has him to do? I know what the scriptures says about this, but would you pastor for free?

[Teria Whitted]

Ok This is just my opinion
Pastor are the watcher over the sheep.
The sheep go to them for guidance. Gods word is freely give. The message is suppose to be spread across the world. how ever if he decides to find a building to bring the flock to him instead he goes and find them. then thats on him. If I am the sheep it is not my duty but my shepard duty to find me shelter. I do not give him advice nor do i lead the way. I come to him because i was giving to him. Now it his duty to keep me safe, not mine. so its not our duty to pay the pastor. for we are like sheep that is following the leader. it is his duty to provide and shelter and feed us. Which mean he find a way to shelter us with the word, clothes us with the word, and feed us the word. Now he can do that through telephone calls, internet, or at his house. he took it upon his self to get a building to do his duty. so it is his obligation to make a way. so we give money becasue we want to help out or we give clothes or food are what ever that you do as giving to help one another, that who ever may be in need there is help. for he or she or them. But again you can not find it in the word becasue that was not our burden but the leader burden.it is the duty of the pastor not the sheep or members. Now when you become a decon or more then just a member then you have tooken upon that duty to help the pastor out.

Ok for example
you have a house you just got married
and now you have a child
you don't espect the baby to help pay bills until it reaches a certain maturity age anbd mind growth.
Just Like the the members. when they become ready then they to should go and spread thre word. tithing was bought to a secret place so when the people of god is in need the oversear goes into the secret place and get what is needed to help that person out. and remeber you only gavce tothing once but offering people gave as sacrafice for there sins and that was only giving to the priest so that he may go to god for our sins.

but when jesus came as the story teaches we can now pray for our selves and go to god our selves becasue jesus was the sacrfice we needed to bridge the gap. so we no longer need a priest to get a blessing from god. but again the priest is the barriel of secrets and they are suppose to keep gods word flowinbg through out history. but they stop doing there job and others came in there place and went up against them and thats when the foundation was broken and now you have so many different views of the word and its no longer one world religion. which they would like it to be again.
please give me your opinion if i am wrong on anything i saiud.

[Archbishop Trevor 'Elihu' Greene]

Honor and privilege, yes. It is also an ASSIGNMENT/JOB/MANDATE. Apostle Paul wrote about his right to getting compensation for his work in the Kingdom in 1st Corinthians 9. The thing you have to question understand here is this: What is an Apostle, Bishop, Prophet, Evangelist, Teacher, Pastor?

An Apostle in the literal language today is an Ambassador. Ambassadors don't necessarily get a check, but ALL their funds and their lifestyle are supplied by the kingdom/nation they are representing. If they need cash, they have access to the Kingdom's account. Cash is made ready at all times. They are tax exempt in the region that they are assigned to be an ambassador in, and few laws of that land are legally able to bind them. They may be in the other region for a number of years, or even for life, but they will ALWAYS be a citizen of the country/kingdom that sent them. Their job demands is a 24hr job that ends (depending on the kingdom they represent) by death, resignation, or termination.

A Bishop is literally an "Overseer"; a manager of a business, or region. C.O.G.I.C. had the right idea by naming their regional Bishops "Superintendents", because thats EXACTLY the idea behind the Bishopric. No manager/overseer goes with compensation for the work they do, for they have a large task. They do have a a life of their own, but being a manager of a region of people or even a business is literally 24hrs. You get calls on vacation, at 3am, ect.

A Prophet literally is the spokesperson for the GOD they serve. Scripture after scripture, time after time, the Prophet was provided for by men and women seeking their service. In the old days, they knew better than to come before the man/woman of GOD empty handed, because they understood the Prophets words to be from GOD. If the Prophet speak the words of GOD, he literally "speaks GOD" (John 1:1) and the LORD Himself said do not come before the LORD empty handed. "Give, and i shall be given unto you good measure....." A prophet is ALSO a guardian of their faith, but thats a longer explanation. No guardian goes without compensation, religious or otherwise.

An Evangelist is literally a leader (creative person), a person who enthusiastically promotes or supports something (e.g.: technology evangelist). They are the "hype-man" for their cause. They are the promoter, and you will get no business if you get no promotion. Promoters of both business and religion in the old days as well as today were well cared for, because the owners business rested in the creativity and ENTHUSIASM of the promoter.

A Pastor is literally a shepherd. Anyone that says Pastors are "fleecing the flock" in a mocking way is quick frankly an ignorant individual. The shepherd and sheep literally live off of each other. The sheep need the shepherd to provide clean water, grass/food at all times, protection, ect. The Shepherd however, needs the sheep for things as well: meat, wool for clothing for themselves, wool to sell for food in the winter time for both shepherd and sheep alike.

You already know what a Teacher is. And if you already know what they are by society, then you already know that for decades Teachers have been under paid and have ALWAYS lacked proper appreciation. Do you think its any different in the Kingdom? Yes it is different, because the teachers of the world are paid and appreciated MORE by the world people they serve, than the Kingdom Teachers are by the citizens of the Kingdom of GOD.

Now John, Moreh, and everyone else, translate that out to today's language, for GOD rules in all generations.

[John]

Yeah and Satan still is the great deceiver, isn't he? There is no way I'm going to compare a teacher of man's education to a teacher of God's Word period. I'm not getting into COGIC nor 501c3 nor Webster's dictionary at this time either.

[Archbishop Trevor 'Elihu' Greene]

I wont go too deep into detail, but I will name two areas:

-World/Foreign Missions
-Prison Ministry

[Evangelist Altha Fugett]

I have just got to say this, and being new here, I want to also say, you are all a blessing, however in reference to the conversation, why is it, that when it comes to a man or woman of God, money becomes an issue. CHRISTIANS, will pay anybody else for what they want. Will give gratuities out the wazoo, but mention giving a man, woman, child, a monetary love token, not to mention a salary all type of spirits get conjured up.

That is why when one goes into the ministry they have to have the attitude that "God called me to do this work and HE will provide" you will be surprised at the hearts that HE will touch, and your enemies will argue your case for you, footstools they will become. Be blessed all!

[Archbishop Trevor 'Elihu' Greene]

You're right about what you're saying. Ministry itself literally is a fulltime job. The sense of a full time job is robbed by here though.

Also, why does "poor" and ministry have to go together as well? Is it literally a crime for a ministry to live well (and even live wealthy) from the very ministry that GOD has called for them to do? The Prophets of sometimes old received offerings from the hands of those that they ministered to, and sometimes they did not. The problem here is this: ill gain from the gospel is unfortunately being mixed up with legitimate gain. If people were not robbing the ministry and all ministers were doing what they were supposed to do, then it wouldn't be a problem if some were wealthy. BUT NO!!! Satan's plan is for the few to spoil it for the rest. The same thing is being done with the Prophetic ministry: a few false Prophets pop up, and people literally try to shut down the entire Prophetic ministry. "KILL EM ALL AND LET GOD SORT EM OUT" seems to be the motto here.

Why can I not have my ministry AS my job?

[John]

Brother Trevor I know you are passionate about your ministry and you can view it as you choose but why not have your ministry as your "life" instead of a "job"? This isn't something that you will retire from (in a sense any ways, one day you will be with Him) and get retirement, watch and stuff. LOL I can tell you love what you do and that is a blessing. But you have to know that not all that claim to be called are called truly by God. Some as one person said call them selves to make it a business to pimp the flock with flowery words from them selves and not God's Word. Let's face it also, Jesus said there will be false teachers, preachers, prophets and even false Christs. This is why we must (in the spirit) judge ALL THINGS and when you do, you'll know who the real deal is compared to the fakes. I think if you make money from something that you do as opposed to the flock buying your home, car and other material things what's wrong with that and that you are sharing your so called wealth with the poor. But let's face it, that's not the case I'd say in 90% (or more) of the cases.

[John]

Absolutely true! What good is it to preach the Word to believers. Jesus came into the world to save sinners. You get all the Amens and everything else when you preach to believers because it's easy. As Brother Moreh and others have said, it doesn't help when all you do is preach to a room full of believers, go talk to those outside the church walls.

[John]

I agree with you Brother Luckett but most are only doing the one for the most part.

[Teria Whitted]

well actually romans 3: 23 say for all have sin come short of the glory of god.
so why do u feel that the believer are not sinful people. if you try to cured all your sins you still will not cure all your sins. becasue knoweldge was the second si n committed. the tree of knoweldge was the tree that brought sinn into this world. yes i believe the world was wipe out atleast 5 times. But i got into troubled becasue you can not mix science and the bibled together. Well until proven wrong i still stand by that. anyways back to what i was saying. just becasue we are call the beleiver does not mean we do not sin. and i believe thats why christian will be the first to go to hell. In your language i know of hell to be something else. But back to the topic
the reason i feel that way is becasue some how along the way christian started looking at themselves as gods, and telling people where they are going. if you want to stand on something then lets stand out the greatest commandment there is and thats love, if god is going to judge anybody and condem us then it has to be on love. can you measure up to that. If i kill your mother and family and ask you to save me from the snakes will you save me after i just kill your love ones i think no t. But there are people who really can and thats me becasue i was brought up on love and to be honest i can say that was the only thing that save me from killing my self. no i have not master love just yet but i will i still have until i leave the place call earth. Anyways you are not judge by what you do but why you do it in the first place. And i believe we all will be judge by the love we show one another. Just my opinion

if you feel different please add you comments.
Love Teria

[John]

You've said some things Sister Teria. You can't mix science with the bible even though there are a lot that feel you can and they do. Some try to prove the bible by science instead of proving science by the bible. Man's science is just that man's. Now in 1Timothy 6:20 science isnt' what man has done but is the knowledge of true doctrine meaning true vs false doctrine. Otherwords moral wisdom, such as seen in right living. Jesus said love is the key and His two greatest commandments. God bless.

[Archbishop Trevor 'Elihu' Greene]

They already know who I am and what I'm about. They hear the Gospel from me. They know my life story personally: once was a gang member in my own neighborhood, now a lover of JESUS and proud of it. That literally goes without saying for me. Whether respected and disrespected for my faith, one thing is for sure you will NOT confuse me with the unsaved after one conversation with me (maybe even one glance).

Its time now to stretch out to new regions, because I won't be a broken recording in the ears of a people that reject it (unless GOD gave me that direct command, which HE didn't.)