Christian workers should be paid!

Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the believers. You are faithful even though they are strangers to you. They have told the church about your love. Please help them by sending them on their way in a manner that honors God. They started on their journey to serve Jesus Christ. They didn’t receive any help from those who aren’t believers. So we should welcome people like them. We should work together with them for the truth. I wrote to the church. But Diotrephes won’t have anything to do with us. He loves to be the first in everything. So if I come, I will point out what he is doing. He is saying evil things about us to others. Even that doesn’t satisfy him. He refuses to welcome other believers. He also keeps others from welcoming them. In fact, he throws them out of the church. Dear friend, don’t be like those who do evil. Be like those who do good. Anyone who does what is good belongs to God. Anyone who does what is evil hasn’t really seen or known God. (3 John 5-11)

These verses above are not simply practical advice, but important to me as a missionary and also a Bible student. I was assigned this book written by the one Jesus loved as part of my degree study. It helped me in seeking support for our work. I used to feel to ask others to support our work with teens and families, being made to feel like a beggar. I actually have overheard believers saying that it is not the individual believers responsibiility to support missions. Even family members have distanced themselves from my wife and I since we have dedicated our lives to Chrstian service. I must admit, even I did not realize the work involved in missions, especially independent mission work! Missions is a business! It must adhere to the laws and regulations of the state. It must pay fees and be registered with the state and federal government. Office bills must be paid such as phone, banking, mailing, etc.

If missionaries are to do their study, preparing, and actual hands-on work, they need to be supported. This also is true of pastors and ministers! (1 Corinthians 9:4-10) Christian workers should be paid wages for doing the work of the Lord, whether within the walls of the church or in the streets of the city!

While many still refuse to support missions work, I no longer feel ashamed to seek support. My wife and I have put many hard and late hours into study and preparation for our work. We have degrees to prove it. But more importantly, we have the direction and call from God to do it! We can truly identify with John, Paul, and many others who have gone before us. We have learned however to leave folks alone who refuse to understand. God will deal with them. We are so grateful to the handful who sacrificially support the work with regularity. We will not quit! We have work to do!