Paul’s Discussion of Money in the Epistles
There’s nothing that makes people want to leave churches alone like pleas for money from the pulpit. It is one of the things that I’ve heard over and over from Christians and non-Christians alike: preachers asking for money get their goose. Of course I’ve heard my fair share of asking and most of the time it comes tied to humor and jokes because pastors feel compelled to ask for the money to achieve some building project or send some missionary to Hawaii a little longer [that snark was intended in humor].
I happen to attend a church that teaches via verse-by-verse exposition, that is to say that every lesson starts off where the last lesson ended in the Bible text. Not topical teaching out of context, you are always building on the last week’s context (except of course when you’re starting in chapter one, verse one). This means you can’t avoid passages where money gets discussed, but it also gives them biblical context beyond money and building projects. They’re also not prompted by the teacher’s whim, but instead opening up the depth of content inside of the inspired text of God’s Word.
When Paul writes about financial support in the epistles he writes with the desire to amplify his ministry to other believers with support from where he has already been. On top of that it appears that Paul’s tent making helped him keep his overhead lower than if he simply just asked for money. Paul writes specifically to the Philippians 4:15 that the church there had supported him when others were not. You’ll not notice Paul scathingly angry - instead you see an attitude of gracious thankfulness for what was provided. Paul saw God’s provision as being fruitful for those involved and he was grateful for God’s work through the financial benefits of the gift.
The next time you think about church and money think about your attitude in giving, and rejoice when you get to hear a good money passage so that you’re not distracted by the building fund, the missions fund, or the fact that your wallet isn’t as fat as the next guys - its probably just credit card receipts.
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