Bible, Bros & Brew
Bible, Bros, & Brew is all about helping you navigate your relationship with God in practical, real-life ways. Hosts David and Phil dig into scripture—'chopping up the word'—and bring it to life with insights you can actually use every day. And while they’re at it, they share their favorite 'brews'—don’t worry, it’s not booze! Just a solid lineup of classic coffees and teas to keep the conversations flowing.
Bible, Bros & Brew
Financially Supporting Preachers: Holy or Heresy? | Walking in the Spirit | Bible, Bros & Brew
In Galatians 6:6, there's a particular idea that sticks out like a sore thumb, not only because of what it overtly says, but also in terms of where it is placed in the context of Paul's line of thinking. The verse states that "If you are being taught the Christian message, you should share all the good things you have with your teacher." (Good News Bible). Since the beginning of the church age, the question of motive has always been attached to the idea of materially or financially supporting preachers of the gospel. So how should we approach this issue in the body of Christ? What is the proper, biblical protocol for providing financial support to ministers of the gospel? In this episode, David & Phil dig into the Word to discover what the scriptures actually say about this somewhat controversial topic.
gotbrew@biblebros.net
On this episode of Bible Bros and Brew. We're going to continue our journey through Galatians 6, and we're going to talk about the scripture that mentions those who are taught in the Word should communicate unto those who teach in all good things. What exactly does that mean? We're going to get into that coming up next. Hello and welcome everyone to Bible Bros and Brew. My name is Philip and with me, of course, is the magnanimous David McIntyre. I keep pointing the wrong way. There we go, and then the cantankerous Ryan Holdeman here. I forgot what cantankerous means, but I just like it. It sounded good. It sounded good. I didn't have like four syllables, it sounded good. But we are here tonight to continue our journey in Galatians 6.
Phillip Rich:I know more than likely if you've been tuning in, you know we've been on this path, going through Galatians. We started off in chapter 5, actually dealing with the fruit of the Spirit, walking in the Spirit, actually dealing with the fruit of the Spirit, walking in the Spirit, and we talked about the works of the flesh, all kinds of cool things that we covered from that section of Galatians, and then, of course, we kind of got on a roll. It kind of snowballed from there. So now we're in Galatians 6, and we're talking about just some things regarding what happens when a believer needs to be restored. What happens, how should we treat each other within the body of Christ when someone's struggling or someone's dealing with some stuff, because Paul talked all about it in the beginning of Galatians 6.
Phillip Rich:But in this episode we're going to hit a verse that is just interesting that it's placed where it is, and we're going to kind of just tackle that as we dig into it tonight. But before we get too deep into the woods, I want to ask our famous question on Bible Bros and Brew what is in the cup, ryan? How about you, sir, what you got in the cup? Yo yo yo. Good evening everybody.
David McIntyre:All right. So I've got a cold brew, which I know is kind of the theme for tonight. Yes, sir, so I went with the busy for tonight. Yes, sir, so I went with the Busy cold brew. This is the organic breakfast blend. Ah.
Phillip Rich:Nicely done, man. I like Busy, it's got good flavor dude.
David McIntyre:Yeah, this is the first time I've gotten it and yeah, I would agree, scott, it's really good.
Phillip Rich:I like it. Good stuff, alright, david. How about you sir? Tonight I am gotten it, and yeah, I would agree, scott, it's really good. I like it. Good stuff. All right, david, how about you sir?
Ryan Holdeman:tonight I am uh bringing to the table once again a fresh brew for the season. Um, this comes from a little coffee shop nearby but they buy this coffee that's called methodical and this is their uh probably called blue boy, which is uh has taste of chocolate, graham and brown sugar. So this is a. It's a nice coffee, smells, has a good aroma and what's so interesting is there's when you get the back end of the taste. You know you can taste coffee kind of in stages through your mouth, right as you're taking it in, you get a sip and you can taste what's happening on the front end. There's kind of a middle sometimes, right, and then there's what resides with you on the back end, kind of in the back of your throat.
Ryan Holdeman:Man that graham cracker with a little caramel. They just ride back there and it's lovely.
Phillip Rich:It's like the dimensionality of it all, the multi facetation of it all, if you will.
Ryan Holdeman:Right, right, right. So that's my coffee for tonight. I'll tell you later where to get it from, because somebody got it for me. Well, it's methodical coffee, so you can look them up and you can grab some of their coffee. I'm sure I'll grab another bag down the road.
Phillip Rich:Nice, man Nice.
Ryan Holdeman:How about you, Phillip? What are you drinking?
Phillip Rich:For tonight. As Ryan mentioned, we are on a cold brew theme. It seems to be my theme a lot lately, but this is the Stoke cold brew. I can't get enough of it right now. It is the Unsweet Black. I think David had a joke about that last week. We'll let that one pass, um, but but yes, um, it is good. I like it because it's just got this nice smooth flavor. And, david, I dare say, nay, I venture to say that there is a bit of caramel in this coffee dude, so pretty awesome.
Ryan Holdeman:Nice, nice.
Phillip Rich:A little note there, a little top note, if you will, I'll just do the white supremacy sign. Sorry about that, that was totally.
Ryan Holdeman:That is not the white supremacy sign.
David McIntyre:That is okay.
Ryan Holdeman:From the time I was a kid, this was okay. Only four years ago did it become a white supremacy sign, which means y'all are making crap up. Stop it, it's okay.
Phillip Rich:It's okay. It's okay, we're going to shut that down tonight on Bible Bros and Brew Praise.
Ryan Holdeman:God, let me get my sip of my coffee and get back in.
Phillip Rich:Let's approach it with a methodical type of approach.
Ryan Holdeman:I'm back.
Phillip Rich:Yeah, there you go, there you go, all right. Well, that's what's in the cup. Let's talk about what we've been digging into in the word In Galatians 6, we covered the first few verses. I think last week, maybe the last two episodes we covered the first few verses of Galatians 6. And we're going to do a quick little recap to give kind of the flavor, if you will, of what we're talking about tonight. It says here Brothers, if anyone is caught in any sin this is verse one of course you who are spiritual, that is, you who are responsive to the guidance of the Spirit this is the Amplified Bible, by the way. It says you who are responsive to the guidance of the Spirit are to restore such a person. What kind of person? The person who's caught in a sin. The person who's caught in a sin. Restore such a person in a spirit of gentleness, not with a sense of superiority or self-righteousness.
Ryan Holdeman:Philip, can I interrupt for just a second? I just want to point out that the New Living Translation says this verse in a way that I like, and it says with gentleness and humility yes. Restore that person. I just want to throw that back in because I gently and humbly sorry uh to that. You should restore people with that gentleness and humility in mind yeah from the top, and I just love that because that sets such a great tone for how you're approaching this.
Phillip Rich:True indeed, man. It's interesting too, because over here in the Amplify, when it talks about, don't do it with a sense of superiority or self-righteousness. I was thinking about it, it's like what is it, man, about self-righteousness?
Ryan Holdeman:that it's as soon as we see it in someone else, we see the ugliness of it, but sometimes maybe we don't catch it when we're doing it ourselves right right and don't you think that's because of that whole concept of I judge you for what you do to me, but then I talk about my intentions, right, what I did to you yes, yes, that was that famous saying.
Phillip Rich:We, we judge people. We judge others by their actions, but ourselves by our intentions right right and it's, it's so true, man, good lord, it's like and and the, the big thing that's being said now, and I mean, I've said this myself many, many times before and I don't do do it anymore. But my heart was right, you know. But my heart's good, my heart's right. You know what man, god is the ultimate judge of our hearts.
Ryan Holdeman:Right. Why does that scripture say the heart is full of what?
Phillip Rich:You know what I mean. It's Jeremiah 17. It says the heart is deceitful above all things.
Ryan Holdeman:Deceitful above all things.
Phillip Rich:It's like be careful what you think you're, be careful that you think you have an accurate assessment of your own heart, at times Right A heart that is not submitted to Jesus.
Ryan Holdeman:A heart that's not submitted to God cannot be trusted to guide you anywhere.
Phillip Rich:Come on.
Ryan Holdeman:And remember, we're supposed to be being led by the spirit of God. So it's even outside of ourselves, it's in us, but it's outside of us as well, because the Holy Spirit dwells in us. We know that, because the Holy Spirit dwells in us, we know that, but he's seeing so far beyond where we are that we're supposed to be allowing him to guide and lead us into all truth. For his name's sake, not your heart guiding and leading you into all kinds of foolishness, because it has no sense of what's going on around you, right?
Phillip Rich:So we have to be careful.
Ryan Holdeman:But a heart that is shaped in the knowledge of God is a companion to the Holy Spirit.
Phillip Rich:That's good, man, dude, that's good. It's like a heart that's submitted to his ways.
Ryan Holdeman:Right.
Phillip Rich:That's a heart that you can trust. That's a heart intention and a heart direction you can trust.
Ryan Holdeman:Right, but dude because that's a heart that will point you back to the Holy spirit.
Phillip Rich:Thank you, and, and so I remember, dude. Um, unfortunately I haven't prayed this a lot lately. Maybe I should go back to it, but I had a good prayer that I was praying. A while back I was saying Lord, thank you, I thank you, and I was saying it as a faith confession, like here's what I want to happen.
Ryan Holdeman:I was like Lord.
Phillip Rich:Thank you that I have a heart that's submitted to your ways. You know, and I need to start praying that again honestly, because it's one of those things it's like if you have that and your heart and your life is submitted to the word and you're being mindful, you know that you're not trying to go astray, you're keeping your intentions in the right direction, then that's something that's reliable. You can depend on your conscience to inform you by the Holy Spirit in you, you know, to guide you through life. But if you just follow this or you just kind of say to yourself this famous saying people say all the time, it's like follow your heart, just follow your heart.
Phillip Rich:If it's not submitted to God's ways, it might not be the best idea for you to follow your heart quote unquote Because sometimes, again, it can be, you can. Your judgment can be clouded by desires. You know it can be clouded by different things that are not necessarily in line with God's will or his way, and so it's not always a cut and dry thing. Just follow your heart, man Dude, your heart can lead you off a cliff sometimes if you're not careful.
Ryan Holdeman:Right, it has to be his ways. Your heart is part of you. It doesn't have a clue where it's going. Just remember that your heart doesn't have a clue where it's going. That's good man, that's a good way to put it, but remember what Jesus said. He said I only do that which the Father tells me to do.
Phillip Rich:Come on man.
Ryan Holdeman:And then we get this knowledge that the Holy Spirit does the same thing Jesus does. He only does what the Father tells him to do. So, when you have that kind of thing in you, why would you follow your heart when you've got the specific, perfect direction of the Holy Spirit to help you to know what to do? And then you follow that direction.
Phillip Rich:That's good man, Dude. Ryan, if you don't mind John 16, I think it is you just gave me something, David, John 16, in the Amplified, this is some cool stuff it's the Holy Spirit. In John 14, 15 and 16, Jesus mentioned the Holy Spirit over and over again. He was like OK, I'm going away, but I'm not going to leave you without comfort, I'm not going to leave you without a companion. And let's see, this is so good Praise. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, oh man. That's yeah, yeah, yeah, oh man. That's the Amplified there, Ryan, you know they changed. There's like an Amplified Classic and then an Amplified Regular or something like that. See, if there's an Amplified Classic. I don't know if they got that or not.
Ryan Holdeman:No, you're looking at the only Amplified they have.
Phillip Rich:Okay, okay, okay anyway. But this one's still good though, so I can roll with it. But it says in verse 13 it says but when he, the spirit of truth, that's the holy spirit, when the spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, full and complete truth. For he will not speak on his own initiative, but he'll speak whatever he hears from the father, the message regarding the son that's what you just said, david and he will disclose to you what is to come in the future. He will glorify and honor me because he, the Holy Spirit, will take from what is mine and will disclose it to you. And then he said if you're wondering what's mine, I'll tell you All things that the Father has are mine. Come on now Because of this. I said that he, the Spirit, will take from what's mine and will reveal it to you.
Phillip Rich:Now the one that I'm thinking of the translation, the amplified version I'm thinking of it said he'll take from what is mine and he will transmit it to you, and I love that word. I remember seeing it in the Amplified I just jumped off the page, I guess whatever other Amplified it was out there but it says he will take from what is mine and he will disclose it and transmit it to you. And isn't that true, david? It's like we got to make sure we're tuning into the transmission of the Holy Spirit, because if the way to do that and I'm not an expert, but I'm learning the way to do that is to stay in tune with his word, fill your heart with his word, do your best to live by his word, and what you're doing is you're adjusting your spirit to the frequency that allows you to pick up what the Holy Spirit is saying.
Ryan Holdeman:Man, that's right. That's right, phil. I used to preach this little short sermon about radio waves and picking up God's frequency. And the gist of it is that through the air right now, all around us, are sound waves and different kinds of radio waves are passing through and you need a tuner to help you to tune to the right frequency that God resonates. Come on, bro, and when you tune in to the right frequency you get the information that is being sent on that wave of information. And we've got to learn, through his word, to tune our hearts to God so that we can pick up his frequency. And then you lock in your radio. There you always know you're on channel G and you just channel G and you just keep running uh, until you meet him in person.
Phillip Rich:Man, that's good stuff. Dude, you're tuning into channel G, I can hear it. That's pretty cool, sorry, but so we'll move into. We could stay on that for the whole episode, honestly, but we'll move on down to the verse two. We're only been one verse so far.
Phillip Rich:Verse two you know how we do, I'm telling you, man. It says carry one another's burdens and in this way you will fulfill the requirements of the law of Christ, that is, the law of Christian love. James calls it the royal law, which I think is pretty cool. And in verse three it says for if anyone thinks he is something special, when in fact says for if anyone thinks he is something special when in fact he is nothing special except in his own eyes, he deceives himself. But each one must carefully scrutinize his own work, examining his actions, attitudes and behavior. Then he can have the personal satisfaction and inner joy of doing something commendable without comparing himself to another. That's good, man. That to me it's all about staying out of pride.
Phillip Rich:I think that's one of the big takeaways from that. It's like you know, you're running this race and you're in your lane. You know, I think in Hebrews 12, it talks about how you know we need to run, with patience, the race that's set before us. But everybody has a lane. When you like, in a baton race or whatever it is, they always have a lane that they have to stay in, and that's us in this life. It's like God has given each of us certain gifts, talents, abilities, resources, and it's our job to use what he's given us and stay in our lane and run the race that he's assigned us to run.
Phillip Rich:Now, my race may not look like another person's race. There's plenty of room for God to speak to each of us individually in terms of what he wants us to do. That's in line with the purpose he designed us for and those. That purpose will be different for each person, you know, because everybody's gifted differently.
Phillip Rich:Um, there are things that that Ryan's good at, that I'm not good at at all, things that Dave is good at that I'm not good at at all, and maybe vice versa. And it's just that thing where we have to understand what God's gifted us to do and the resources he's given us, and we go okay, I'm going to run this race in line with those things that I know have been gifted to me from him. And? Um, so the point being, you know, if I can't judge my results by someone else's uh qualifications, you know what I mean. I have to judge and run the race that's been set before me with the things that he's given me, and then I can rejoice in doing a job well done, not because I'm comparing myself to somebody else.
Ryan Holdeman:Right, that's good, phil, that's really good, that's good, praise God.
Phillip Rich:So anyway, in verse five, this is kind of the follow up to verse four in terms of Paul's train of thought, for every person will have to bear with patience his own burden of faults and shortcomings, for which he alone is responsible. I think, david, we can say you know, when you're doing that self-assessment you're going to run into some things that you know you need to tweak and adjust right.
Ryan Holdeman:Right, of course you should expect that. I mean it's if the Holy Spirit the Holy Spirit is in the singular time, helper, it says that he will give you a helper. That implies ongoing, and so that means that you should adjust. You should know that you have life adjustments that you're going to have to make as you go and you're tuned into channel G and Holy Spirit is guiding you and saying hey, you need to go here, you need to shift there. Just know you need to go with the flow and let God work through you and you'll find that you got somewhere down the road. But you've got to know that every day isn't going to just be this one thing Just trust God and follow the path of the holy spirit good stuff, man, good stuff.
Phillip Rich:And so in verse uh, five, I think it is six, I'm sorry. So now we're getting to the, the new thing that we wanted to share tonight. Um, again, paul's got a train of thought going here and then all of a sudden here comes verse six, and it's just fascinating that he puts this here. It says the one who is taught the word of God is to share all good things with his teacher, contributing to his spiritual and material support. So you've got the one who's taught the word, that's the person listening, hearing, receiving what's being preached or being taught. And then the one who is the teacher, that's the one who has been studying the word, laboring in the word, and now is able to present the word. And it says the guy who is being taught should share all good things, and it says that person should contribute to the teacher's material and spiritual support.
Phillip Rich:I think this is a fascinating thing, david, because I think it's I mean, it's right here in the scripture, it's fully biblical to support someone who is teaching and sharing and imparting the word. That makes perfect sense to me, like if there's a certain ministry that I like to listen to, I love, like, for instance, k House, koinonia House, with Chuck Missler. I've always loved that ministry and so I sow into that ministry. I give money or donate to help support it because I believe in it. And there's another one called the Discovery Institute where they do a lot of things with creation science and things like that just the scientific basis for things in the Bible and we support that too because we believe in the work they're doing and we'd like to see it expand. I think that's perfectly fine and and obviously it's biblical to do that. Your thoughts, david. Before we get into the second half of this here.
Ryan Holdeman:No, I think you're good. I think that you know, as you guys know, as we've been going through Galatians, I've been sharing with you from the New American Commentary and I think it points out something very interesting. And you know, like Philip said, it seems like a scripture out of place, but in reality it is a part of the train of thought, because one of the things the commentary talks about is that this concept of you know, sharing your goods with your pastor, ministry leader or however that may be, is in the context of the concept of coming up and bearing one another's burdens.
Ryan Holdeman:And there's an exchange that happens that the preacher of the word, the pastor, gives you what he has, the word, and he teaches, and that teaching supports you and strengthens you and fills you. And in return of that, when you give to that ministry, you're giving back resources to that pastor so that pastor can do the things that they may need to do, and there's a beautiful reciprocation in that relationship that is built on bearing one another's burden. You need the word, we need a financial support, Because I am strong in my teaching and I'm committed to God in my teaching. You see that and you give a financial support.
Ryan Holdeman:I don't have to ask for it, I don't have to cajole you for it, I don't have to cajole. Cajole might not have been the right word, but I don't have to trick you into it. I don't have to work you over, I don't have to con you to get you to give. There's a natural exchange that comes and it's. You know I've been in my life, I've had you knowries that I've given to and I can't tell you that I've been so happy to give to those ministries.
Phillip Rich:Right.
Ryan Holdeman:Because I didn't give to them out of a necessity to meet some need, but because I was overflowing with the knowledge of God's will and word and because I understood that word and it enriched my life, I happily gave resources in order to support that ministry. So we were bearing one another's burdens, really, and that's the concept that Paul brings out here in verse one that now meets us again in verse six.
Phillip Rich:Yes, sir Brian, your thoughts on it.
David McIntyre:No, I was just gonna draw. You made an analogy earlier, phil. That said up here in verse six you have to run your race in your lane, and we all have our lane to run because we all have our gifts. But I think it's important to note that while you have to run in your lane, you can't run in your lane, you can't run alone. You have to have guys that are running beside you. And so, while it is your race to run God didn't call us to run the race by yourself that you have to have guys to your left and to your right that are going to encourage you and push you to be better. That's good, ryan.
Phillip Rich:That's a good point, man, absolutely. And we need that, we need each other. I mean, nobody's an island to themselves, man. And truth be told, that's why God called us the body of Christ. You know, the body's not made of just one part, it's multiple parts with different functions, and that's the whole purpose.
Phillip Rich:I think it's the best analogy that the Holy Spirit could have given Paul. It's like this body of Christ is designed to work together, but we don't all do the same thing. You know, we don't all share the same function. And, like Paul said, it's like what sense would it make for the because I'm not the hand, I'm an eye. Instead, is the hand supposed to say I don't need you. If you're not a hand, I don't need you? You know that kind of thing. It's such a cool thing. I think that's 1 Corinthians 12, when he talks all about that, about the body of Christ. But um, but yeah, just um. With this situation, with, with contributing to, uh, the, the support of people who teach the word um, there's definitely a biblical grounds for it, um, and it's interesting too, because there's also the flip side of that too, because there's also the flip side of that where you got to be cautious against abuse of that.
Ryan Holdeman:I don't know how deep you want to go, david it is worth noting that this is a scripture that is used to manipulate. Yeah, and you do like you were just saying. Philip, you have to be cautious about this scripture, because people will make you feel like you have to give in order to receive the word, and that's a payment plan to the preacher. That's not bearing one another's burdens.
Phillip Rich:No, it's not. No, it's not. And some of the ideas behind that whole school of thought shall we call it, are based in things that are completely unbiblical.
Phillip Rich:It's just, they have this idea that, if you sow into the man of God, then God's going to bless you with a lot of money, I guess, or whatever they're looking for or general stuff, yeah general stuff and we've heard, you know, and David and I you know, to be fair, we came up in a ministry that taught a lot of these things and some of it was, I'd say, in line with God's word. Some of it was a little bit, a little bit off off the mark, you know it was foolishness.
Phillip Rich:I'm trying to be nice. I told David I'm I wouldn't be nice. I'm still trying to be nice for some reason, but but I now it's. We've, we've entered into a place in the body of Christ, I think, where it is just too much of this foolishness going on. Um, it's, it's this thing of you know, god's got a word for you, but I need $10,000 for me to give you that word, you know. And it's like dude, please sit down. You know? Um, we don't have time for that.
Ryan Holdeman:And God told me that somebody in this room right now needs to give $20,000. Give $20,000 and I'll release this word yeah, what is that? Is that a? Spiritual bribe what is that? If you truly had a word for the people, to hold it hostage until you got some money is so anti-Christ.
Ryan Holdeman:Yeah, it's so anti the way that Jesus intended and be mindful that Paul here, brian, take us back to Ephesians real quick, I'm sorry, galatians. To Ephesians real quick, I'm sorry, galatians, remember it says the one who is taught the word of God is to share all good things with his teacher, contributing to his spiritual and material support. There's an exchange of teaching that happens here and I can guarantee you it's not boo-boo teaching, it's not just this surface level, you know, but it is training and equipping believers to grow and walk closer with Jesus. There's an exchange that that creates. Yeah and you, there's too much. Yeah, there's too much.
Phillip Rich:Yeah, it's just too much emotional hype in a lot of these services. Where people are, you know all they're going is getting an emotional, emotional razzmatazz. And then the preacher thinks he's done a great job, because everybody's screaming and shouting and run all over the place and it's like now it's time for you to give, because look at this. Aren't you crying yet? Can't you see the emotions that are?
Ryan Holdeman:you know it's like People are coming down to the steps from everywhere. Yeah, Coming down to the steps from everywhere. They're putting their offering on the steps and it's like so what is the steps? Right?
Phillip Rich:I mean, what does it? You know it's, it's, it's. I don't have words for some of this stuff, man.
Ryan Holdeman:And look, I'm not saying, and I don't think Philip is, we're not saying God can't start an offering and people come and fill the steps up with an offering out of the, out of the goodness and direction of their heart. But it's that. You know, there's nothing in this verse, chapter six, that says anything about your emotions.
Phillip Rich:No, it didn't say. The one who is emotionally riled up should give to their teacher.
Ryan Holdeman:In all good things, you know and I'm going to tell you there. What I can tell you is that there were times where maybe it was the right time to give, but I was giving out of an emotional thing and I would always you know, I'm still waiting for the 4th of July offering that we gave to come back and manifest. I wrote the thing in my wallet and I got the tag. I put it in my wallet. You know, july 4th.
David McIntyre:Yeah, independence Day, praise God.
Ryan Holdeman:Right, and all of that good stuff. You know what I mean. I do I do, but we're not supposed to be emotional about our giving no and we're not supposed to be emotional about our giving no, and we're not supposed to fall for a bunch of spiritual gimmicks.
Ryan Holdeman:No, we can't, and you know, I think sometimes one of the things that we miss in our reading of the word is how many shysters were out there even in the Bible time Come on, bro trying to trick and manipulate the body of Christ. Jude tells us that some of them were doing it for financial gain. That was their only intention. So don't be deceived to think. There are not pastors sitting in pulpits right now, who are only there as a get-rich-quick scheme.
Ryan Holdeman:They don't have any real love for God. They're not all connected and locked in like that. They know they got to do something that's good enough to look like they understand the Word of God. So they'll probably study the Bible enough to be able to say some stuff and they'll get you riled up and get you in your emotions and get you all that good stuff, because they know the emotional part is the part that gets you to do the action that they want you to take. Don't believe that.
Ryan Holdeman:They're not wolves come on bro well, you know what right now you have to be careful.
Phillip Rich:I'll tell you what David second Peter. Well, you know what In the pulpit right now, you have to be careful. I'll tell you what David Second Peter, brian, if you don't mind going there. Second Peter, I think it's chapter two. It says this stuff and it's obviously been going on since the beginning of the church.
Ryan Holdeman:And they're still here.
Phillip Rich:They're still here. It says in this is the Berean standard. It says now there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. This is still happening, Right, they will secretly introduce destructive heresies. Ie if you give me a thousand, God will give you 10,000. Even denying the master who bought them, bringing swift destruction on themselves, many will follow in their depravity and because of them, the way of truth will be defamed. Now here, verse three, is where it really gets good. I mean, that was good, but this is really good In their greed. Now there's your reason, right there, there's your motive. In their greed, these false teachers will exploit you with deceptive words.
Phillip Rich:The longstanding verdict against them remains in force and their destruction does not sleep Now. In one translation I think it might be the King James David it says they'll make merchandise of you. Right merchandise of you, right? And it's like Ezekiel 33, verse four says da, da, da, da, da, and I want you to sow $33.40 for an Ezekiel 33 for a blessing. As a matter of fact, don't just move the decimal over a few places. Give me 3,340 while you're at it. It gets worse and worse.
Ryan Holdeman:If your baby is sick right now and you need a healing, I want you to give $400, which stands for healing in the Bible. Give $400 right now. I don't want to get it even twisted, because we're talking about finances here, and this is specifically. Verse six is talking about a financial exchange between teacher and student.
Phillip Rich:Yeah.
Ryan Holdeman:But that's not all they'll come and steal from you, because in second Timothy, chapter three, it talks about them leading astray silly women yes you know, and and basically climbing in the bed with them, um, for sex. These I mean. There there are. There are tricksters, manipulators, unpoored people and they have ill will involved, and that ill will can be financial, that ill will can be sexual because they have appetites. Um, you just have to, we be wise there you go bro that's what the word calls us to do to be wise.
Ryan Holdeman:And when we're being led of the Holy Spirit even if you find yourself in some place where that's going on you immediately get the sense of something is not right here, and you start moving in the other direction. You don't even have to wait to be polite for church to end or whatever. When you hear that thing that's wrong, you get up and you get out.
Phillip Rich:Yeah.
Ryan Holdeman:And leave these people to their stuff. I don't always know why people tend to flock to some places like that, except for the emotional joy. I think it's 2 Timothy 3 also that tells us that they're going to give themselves over to their itching ears. They want to hear what they want to hear, and as long as somebody saying what they want to hear, then they'll. That's where they'll be, and so there are all these other reasons why.
Phillip Rich:But we've got to stay connected to the Holy Spirit, the helper, and he will help us to find the right churches, the right ministries, the right places to connect and be fit you know, and david, I wanted to mention this too while we're at it there is a flip side to this, um, whole principle about supporting people who are preaching the gospel, and it's interesting what paul said about it. Um, in first cor, 1 Corinthians 9, ryan, if you don't mind going there. 1 Corinthians 9, paul lays it out. He says look, there is a biblical grounds for supporting those who preach the gospel. In verse 1, he says am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus, our Lord?
Phillip Rich:Are you yourselves, not my workmanship. Have I not seen Jesus, our Lord? Are you yourselves, not my workmanship? And then verse three. He says this is my defense to those who scrutinize me, because even back then people were questioning Paul's motives. He said have we no right to food and to drink? Have we no right to take along a believing wife, as do the other apostles and the Lord's brother and Peter Cephas, or are Barnabas and I the only apostles who must work for a living?
Phillip Rich:And then he starts laying out this analogy. He says who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Like you know, when you join the army you're not expected to pay for your own lunch. They pay for your lunch, dude, you know well, courtesy of the US taxpayer. But you get my point. It says who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its fruit? Who tends a flock and doesn't drink of its milk? He's like if you've put a certain level of investment in, it is perfectly justifiable to get something back from that.
Phillip Rich:He said verse eight do I say this from a human perspective? Doesn't the law say the same thing? For it's written in the law of Moses don't muzzle an ox while it's treading out the grain. It's like even the ox deserves to eat when it's working hard out there in the field. And he says this, is it about oxen? Only that God's concerned. Isn't he actually speaking on our behalf? Now, in verse 11, he says if we've sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much for us to reap a material harvest? He's like you know. We do have a right to this. And he goes a little bit further into it in verse 13. He said don't you know that those who work in the temple eat of its food and those who serve at the altar partake of its offerings? God gave the Levites full right to have a portion of those offerings that would come in. And then, finally, here it is.
Ryan Holdeman:The Levites, by the way. Just think of that for a moment. They were supplied by everybody else, everybody else, by everybody else, everybody else. Their focus was the word of God and attending to the temple.
Phillip Rich:Yes.
Ryan Holdeman:And taking care of the people and, as a result of that, all of their need was supplied to them. But it wasn't because they didn't work and it wasn't because they weren't doing what they were supposed to do. They were communicating the word of God, they were taking care of the temple and, as a result, their supply was being met. So you see the exchange and the root of the exchange in between the Levites and all of the other tribes.
Phillip Rich:Yes, yes, that's good David. And in verse 14, now he lays it out plain as day in verse 14. In the same way, the Lord has prescribed that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel. But now most preachers stop there at verse 14. But look at what Paul said but I have not used any of these rights and I'm not writing this to suggest that something be done for me. Indeed, I'd rather die than let anyone nullify my boast. And then he goes down in verse yeah, he says here about by preaching. Okay, when I preach this gospel, I have no reason to boast because I'm obligated to preach. Woe to me if I don't preach. He says in verse 15, he said I've not used any of these rights. I kind of went too far down In verse 15, I have not used any of these rights.
Phillip Rich:Now, in second Thessalonians it talks about Paul said I worked with my own hands and provided for my own needs. Paul was a tent maker. We know that. It talks about in the book of Acts how he was a tent maker. He had a trade, he worked with his hands and in modern day times we'd call him a vocational preacher. And what's interesting is that as much as Paul did, which is probably more than any living preacher of today. He still had a job. He had a way to produce income that didn't require donations from people, and that's what gets me. Preachers love to talk about the first part. You know well, I'm sowing to you spiritual things, shouldn't I be reaping your natural things? Yeah, but Paul said I didn't even use that right. I'd rather not even receive anything from you lest you get offended at the message, correct?
Ryan Holdeman:And you see Paul dealing with something that was present then and it's still present now, bill, present now. I'd rather make my own money than have you judge me and say that the reason why I do what I do is to receive something from you.
Phillip Rich:Come on, come on. I think many, many ministers and preachers could learn something from that. To be honest, with you.
Ryan Holdeman:And that's interesting because the New American Commentary goes on and it asks the question what can we learn in this modern day from this? And it says there are two things. And first of all it talks about the fact that, again, the exchange is the teaching of the word and putting it first and primary. But it warns us against two things for preachers. Number one, becoming one of those where it's true, where it says that the love of money is the root of all evil.
Ryan Holdeman:And you begin to love the money and fall into evil more than you love God. The second thing is that you get comfortable in your good lifestyle from the giving of other people that you become a hireling In other words.
Ryan Holdeman:you just do what you're paid to do, and if they don't want you to teach X and they're not going to give to you if you do, then you just stay quiet. You don't know how many churches that I've seen where pastors won't preach about tithing, or pastors won't preach about certain subjects because they fear their congregation.
Phillip Rich:Yeah, yep, yeah, they won't, they'll. They'll dodge all the controversial stuff. Because what if a big donor leaves? Then I have a problem. You know, anytime money gets involved and money becomes part of the motive, there's going to be problems. And I've even heard of certain ministers who other preachers will invite that minister to their church because they know this person has a good way of getting the offerings all stirred up and boosted a little bit. And it's sad, it's sad. It's like what is the point? I invite you to my church and my congregation scrapes together 50,000 as an honorarium and then two weeks later I come to your church and your congregation does the same for me and it's the silliest thing. And after a while I think it's important for anyone who's out there preaching the gospel, preaching God's word, check the motive on this stuff with the money man, because if you've become a hireling, what are you actually in this for?
Ryan Holdeman:Yep, I've even seen people who have chased down doing speaking engagements because they were going to get an honorarium and not because that's where God said to go.
Ryan Holdeman:They're going and calculating and saying I got to make a living, so let me go preach at this place, and that's completely. And I've. There have been churches while I have preached in smaller churches. There have been churches that have tried to give me honorariums and I didn't want them because I didn't come, because I wanted an honorarium. Yeah, that wasn't my motivation for doing and the first time that ever happened, I preached at my dad's church and they gave me a little honorarium and I thought that's the greatest little thing. Look at this, it's so cute and I was appreciative of it because I didn't have to.
Ryan Holdeman:And it wasn't an expectation and it wasn't anything like that. I just we've got to be sober. It's good to give to somebody who's teaching the word and rightly dividing the truth and helping you on your journey. Because of that word it becomes a problem when it becomes emotional, when it becomes manipulative and when there are other intents that are around it, but not necessarily godly intent.
Phillip Rich:That's good man, that's good David. Well, oh Brian, go ahead, sir.
David McIntyre:Well, you know, david knows I could talk about this for a moment. I've been keeping my mouth shut. But you know, I just want to, you know, draw your attention to. You know, how do you know it's manipulative and sometimes it is kind of I don't know. Sometimes, you know, it can be kind of hard to tell, but you know. So you know that scripture about not muzzling the ox is some of these quote unquote pastors or ministers or whatever. You know they'll use that scripture but a lot of these guys aren't really that busy. They look busy and they got meetings and they got to go here and they got to go hop on a plane and fly over there and do this, that and whatever but they're not really that busy.
David McIntyre:I mean it's true.
David McIntyre:It's so true, but we do a good job of making ourselves appear busy because, oh, look at my schedule. Oh, oh, you got to get with my assistance assistant and then you've got to get through the um, through the wall, to get to me and in the email I can, I'm going to give you is not, is really not, going to go to my inbox, that's going to go to my assistant's inbox. But you know, the real, the real one that goes to me is like this code and if you can get through that, then maybe, and and if you're making a certain dollar amount can have a personal meet. No, so we're not really that busy, we're not busy about this, about you know, you know. So. So just be careful not to be swept away into the quote, unquote busyness of what looks, you know, shiny on the outside.
David McIntyre:That Jesus uses of, we keep the outside of the cup clean, but the inside is dirty, and I think that takes maturity and it takes discernment to be able to see it, because one thing that I've learned and this is just working behind scenes in these places is you can act one way on the stage, but I don't care about that. I want to see how you act on the side of room, because I've had plenty of pastors. Uh, you know, preach a great message and act like your friend on the stage, but when they get to the side room, you're trying to um, you know, just interact with them like a normal human. You don't even want nothing from them, but you just want to act with them like a normal human being. How do they treat you over there? That's all I need to know.
Phillip Rich:Come on, ron I can say go ahead, go ahead no no, no.
Ryan Holdeman:Well, I just want to say real quick it goes back to the first part of this verse. If nothing else, we have a responsibility to teach the word, and the only way you can be a good teacher of the word is to be somebody who spends time in that yes.
Ryan Holdeman:You've got to know something in order to give people something. Yeah, and I'm telling you, we live in a world that desperately needs the word, and it needs the word above all this other stuff. It doesn't need your necessarily cool program, it doesn't need all of the the lights and smoke the star wars theme service right, it doesn't even and I'm the drama kid, right, but it doesn't need your star wars themed play yes uh, that come.
Ryan Holdeman:you know jesus the force and you know where you're reinterpreting the bible in a star Wars way to reach people. I mean, sure, that's fine, but that's not what's important. What's important is the communication of the word. That's our mission. That's our first mission. If anything takes us away from that first mission, we get ourselves in trouble.
David McIntyre:That's what I would say, that it goes back to verse five, for which he alone is. You alone are responsible for knowing the word yourself.
David McIntyre:Yeah and then taking that and you know the way. You know, just listening to you guys talk, you guys are sharing the word, you're teaching it and, um, you know your perspective of what you've learned yourself. I can apply that and vice versa, and and so I agree, like you alone, you're responsible for knowing. Okay, is the star wars theme? Is that you know? Is that good or bad, whatever? But it's what is being taught and I have to compare that to what I've learned myself. I'm responsible for knowing it and then, and then taking what I know and sharing with someone else, and then listening to somebody that's older and wiser and has a few more gray hairs on their beard.
Ryan Holdeman:You know, I did a Christmas play once that I wrote. I co-wrote a little bit of it. Mostly my writer wrote it, but we wrote it and made sure we covered so much ground, made sure we covered so much ground that when the pastor finally reviewed it, he came to review it to make sure it was on par, but he also came to review it to find out where he dropped his sermon in. And he came to me and he said you know what? I don't need to do a sermon. This communicates the message.
Phillip Rich:That's good bro.
Ryan Holdeman:And that's when your art is good, when you're communicating the message of christ in a practical way where people can apply it and understand it. And versus star will be the fourth be. May the force of jesus be with you you know, just random stuff I see so much random stuff.
Ryan Holdeman:It's good for YouTube, good for TikTok, good for Facebook, but it's not necessarily good for the people who still don't get anything. You had drummers coming out of the ceiling, you had Jesus flying in, jesus flipped upside down on his way. You had all of that and you have to to ask yourself what benefit did this have to lifting up christ, lifting up his word and changing people's lives? Could he just walked in off a stage left, said what the scripture said and made just as much impact?
Phillip Rich:maybe so probably we just have to be.
Ryan Holdeman:We have to stop the dumb stuff. Go ahead Phil.
Phillip Rich:Go ahead, Ryan. I want to hear what you're going to say, Ryan.
David McIntyre:Yeah. Is the goal that the person walk out of those back doors saying whoa, I got some goosebumps, that was a good service. Or is the goal for that person to walk out the back door to not go back into the same way they were living the way they walked in, come right lives?
Phillip Rich:changed. That's right. And you know, in nehemiah I think it was chapter eight it said that the priests gathered everybody together and, because they had rediscovered the law, right, gathered all the people together and all they did was read the word of God the whole day. And it said, the people began to cry and to weep because they had not even heard the word. And that's actually where we get the scripture from, where he says the joy of the Lord is your strength. That's in that passage, because it's talking about joy that comes from knowing the word. The joy that comes from knowing the word is the joy that comes from knowing the word is your strength. And it's interesting too.
Phillip Rich:There was another one. I forgot what book this is in, I know it's there. It says there was a time when there was a famine of the word in the land. This is back in the Old Testament. There was a famine of the word and it says there was no open vision. In other words, god was not saying a single thing at that time. Back in whatever time period that was. And what a time of deprivation, you know what I mean. What a time of just complete like spiritual bankruptcy. When there's no word from God, there's nothing left. You have nothing to hold on to man, and so what you guys are saying.
Phillip Rich:I mean like going to these services and yeah, it's great, it's thrilling, it's entertaining, whatever you want to call it, but if I don't have anything to hold on to when I walk out of there, if I don't know one single scripture extra that I didn't know when I walked in, I have failed in the assignment as a minister. If I leave somebody like that, you know what I mean, that's good.
Ryan Holdeman:I'm going to tell you, phil, I think the day is coming where people in churches all over the world are going to be crying because they will have, for the first time after 20 years, after 30 years, after 40 years, after one year, after five years of being in the church, somebody's finally going to make sense of it.
Phillip Rich:Make sense of it.
Ryan Holdeman:There's nothing like when somebody makes sense of the word. It's such an aha, eye-opening moment and it will shift your life forever.
Phillip Rich:That's right. That's right, and I can say and I know you can too, david that that was the type of ministry we came out of when we first got into the things of God. The ministry we were in was very heavy on emphasizing, understanding the word of God, understanding what you're reading, putting it in a way that makes it practically applicable to your life, and I'm telling you, it's that, and that alone, that changes someone's life, man, that is it like all the emotional razzmatazz, all the stuff like that.
Phillip Rich:It's just for a moment, dude. That's the. That's the, the seed on rocky soil that springs up for a hot second, but then, as soon as the sun comes, it dries it up and kills it.
Ryan Holdeman:It can't produce a darn thing.
Phillip Rich:That's right. That's right. Man Praise God.
Ryan Holdeman:We've got a book market, Phil.
Phillip Rich:I know too we're running so far over here, but it's been a good episode, man, I'm glad we kind of went down this trail. But for those who've been watching this whole time, first of all we salute you for your endurance. But then also we wanted to say thanks for tuning in with us and definitely remember 20 minutes was pre-show.
Phillip Rich:There you go See that. That's got to always keep that in mind, man. We've got that 20 minute pre-show happening, so, um, but please feel free to comment on on in whatever app you might be watching it on, or whatever the case is. Leave a comment, question, suggestion, whatever you might have, we're wide open to it. Like and subscribe always. If this has blessed you in any kind of way, we definitely love to hear about it and of course, you can if there's any questions you might have or anything that you want to see us cover or discuss on one of these episodes. We have an email address for that. It is gotbrewatbiblebrosnet. Once again, gotbrewatbiblebrosnet. We're going to continue down this road of Galatians 6 in the upcoming episodes as well, and we also encourage you, as always, to go back and view the ones that come before this one. But before we wrap up, David, any thoughts from you. Final thoughts.
Ryan Holdeman:No man. Just find a great place to plant yourself and watch yourself grow when you do.
Phillip Rich:There you go. Absolutely, I'll drink more cold brew to that.
Ryan Holdeman:Before everybody goes, let us take a moment and pray for you. Father we love you and we just thank you for another opportunity to get together with friends and talk about what matters most, and that's your word. I thank you, lord, god, that these people who are listening right now, lord, I pray that they're like trees planted by the rivers of living water.
Ryan Holdeman:Thank you, their leaves shall not wither and fade, lord God, and whatever they do prospers. Why? Because they're planted by the rivers of water. Lord, I thank you for everybody here being able to find a great place to call a church home, lord God, that they can root themselves there and be fed and grow and mature and be life changing type of people that go out and do great things. I pray blessings and favor upon their lives. I pray your love abounding eternally for them in Jesus name amen, alright, guys.
Phillip Rich:Great prayer, david, until next time we will see you and we'll catch you on the flip side. And much love and respect to all. Alright, we'll see you next time. Peace and much love and respect to all.
David McIntyre:All right, we'll see you next time, peace.
