2 Thessalonians 3:10 For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. 3:11 For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies. 3:12 Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread.
INTRODUCTION:
In recent years, there seems to be an orchestrated attack on instrumentalist. The bone has been whether they should be remunerated for their services or not.
Some have even been maligned for insisting on full value for their professional services.
There is nothing wrong in church members volunteering free professional services but that is a privilege and not a right. There are very strong reasons why instrumentalists and other skilled and unskilled labourers should be well paid by the church.
Some say that some of these instrumentalists have other sources of income. I thought we keep encouraging multiple streams of income in other to meet up with the high cost of living?Why should an instrumentalist be an exception?
Biblically, physical work, whether in church or outside is meant to put food on the table. God’s blessing for his people is salvation. It is available to everyone. However, when the church engages professional or non-professionals, the standard is that such services should be rewarded except otherwise volunteered by the provider.
We should never twist the scriptures to hoodwink anyone to doing what is not Instructed.
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ON WAGE AWARDS TO SERVICE PROVIDERS?
FOLLOW ME WITH AN OPEN MIND:
Most of the things we say or do, in the name of God, are, at most, human invention, spiritual blackmail and unnecessary emotional and spiritual grandstanding. They are not scriptural.
Let’s read through the scriptures and see what is expected of us when we engage skilled or unskilled labour in church.
- The Labourer Deserves His Wages 👇
1 Timothy 5:18 For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer is worthy of his reward.
Someone invested his time and resources to master a skill, but you use the name of God to deny him his wages. Do they have need for money?
- They are a blessing to the church. Scripture supports them for monetary rewards 👇
1 Corinthians 9:11 If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things?
- God blesses the work of our “hands”. The first point of a man’s blessing in labour is God. He never said He will give you spiritual blessing for the labour of your hands.👇
Deuteronomy 28:12 The LORD shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow.
Read that again 👆.
You don’t lend prayer to nations.
- The Church Is An Employer Of Labour And Should Pay Everyone His Due
The Church of Jesus Christ is a Spiritual entity that also carries out physical activities like Administration, Finance, Education, Sales and more.
Skilled and Unskilled labour are required to make this activities succeed. You don’t use spiritual blackmail to make the people work for free or stipends when their contemporaries are earning bigger. Read how Jesus valued and paid labourers… 👇
Matthew 20:6 And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle? 20:7 They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive. 20:8 So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first. 20:9 And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny.
“…Go ye also into the vineyard (Church): and whatsoever is RIGHT (SALARY), that shall ye receive. ..”
Jesus says labourers should be paid their full wages. Skilled and Unskilled labour in church are not spiritual exercises, rather they are carried out by spirit-filled believers. Their rewards are not in Heaven but based on their wages.
They deserve full value for it.
It is Spiritual rascality to blackmail a professional, who renders his physical services, with an imaginary spiritual blessing.
CONCLUSION:
There is no Scripture in the entire Bible that one can quote to discredit physical rewards in exchange for skilled and Unskilled labour or services rendered. However, there is nothing wrong in Someone volunteering to render those skills free or for a token based on the capacity of the church.
The spiritual blessing from God is salvation. It is given to every believer, whether skilled or unskilled. But whenever someone’s skill is needed in the church, such person should not be spiritually blackmailed into doing what he should be graciously paid for. Let it be that he is doing out out of conviction and not compulsion.
THE CHURCH CAN SERVE GOD WITHOUT ANY INSTRUMENTS. HOWEVER, IF INSTRUMENTS ARE REQUIRED, THE INSTRUMENTALISTS SHOULD BE PERSUADED TO DO IT FOR FREE OR BE PAID BASED ON THE STRENGTH OF THE CHURCH. NO CHURCH LEADER IS PERMITTED TO USE GOD’S NAME TO BLACKMAIL ANYONE TO RENDER FREE SERVICES FOR WHAT CAN SERVE HIM BREAD.
EVEN IF THE CHURCH SPONSORED HIM FOR THE TRAINING, IT WAS FOR EMPOWERMENT AND NOT FOR ENSLAVEMENT.
This Teaching is not to cause Division but to set the record straight.
CORRECT ME IF I AM RIGHT. I CALL YOU BLESSED