God's Children Must Always Come, First.

IN THE OLD TESTAMENT GOD'S PEOPLE WERE FIRST, AND IN THE NEW TESTAMENT THE LORD JESUS CHRIST BELIEVERS, HIS CHURCH MUST COME FIRST:

The Kingdom Of Heaven Government & The Gospel Of Jesus Christ, Transformational Apostle, Winfree, James, R, Sr.

How Can We Say, We're Building The Lord's Church & Kingdom When We Don't Help And Support Our Christian Family ( First )?

( And Know This, The First Church That Yeshua Birth & Built-In Acts gave the collection to the Apostles and not the Pastors, and even the Levite Priest gave it the Lord's Apostles.

"What is a pastor or fellowship leader supposed to do with the offerings and support it receives?"

Awesome And All-Knowing Master Teacher, Us, In Jesus Name: Every church receives some type of unbiblical New Testament Hebrew and Levite's tithes or offerings. Be it via “passing the plate” or setting a box in the back of the man built sanctuary or some other collection method, the Christian family needs funds to operate and help with their needs. How the pastors and its leaders use those funds is important, as the ministry has responsibilities to its members ( First ), to its surrounding community.

First, pastors and their leaders have a responsibility to their members. The very first Church, the one begun in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost, took special pains to meet the practical needs of their members: “God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the Apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need” (Acts 4:33–35). We see that the money was brought to the leaders of the church, who were responsible for the distribution of the money based on need. Food was also being distributed to the widows among them ( Acts 6:1 ).

The Apostles in Jerusalem, in affirming Brother Paul’s ministry among the Gentiles, asked that he should “continue to remember the poor” ( Galatians 2:10 ). So, charitable work to benefit the poor believers first within the church should be part of a church’s budget. Later, Apostle Paul gives some guidelines on who should receive aid from the church and who should depend on another source for their sustenance ( 1 Timothy 5:3–16 ).

Various local churches in the first century also took up offerings to help other churches in need. Specifically, the church in Jerusalem was suffering from persecution and famine, and the church in Antioch provided resources to help (Acts 11:29). Paul later took love gifts from Galatia (1 Corinthians 16:1), Corinth (1 Corinthians 16:3), and Macedonia and Achaia (Romans 15:25–26) to Jerusalem. He was accompanied by emissaries from Berea, Thessalonica, Derbe, and the province of Asia (Acts 20:4).

Second, a church body or family has a responsibility to its spiritual family first and then their surrounding community. Outreach is necessary. “As we have the opportunity, let us do good to all people," Especially" to those who belong to the family of believers” ( Galatians 6:10 ). This verse sets the priority—God’s family first—but we are also to seek ways to “do good” to everyone. Of course, this must involve evangelism (Acts 1:8). A healthy church should be sending out ministers and members (see Acts 13:2–3) or at least supporting those who have a heart and spirit to serve in various fields of service, who are born again and Holy Spirit-filled and led.

A church body or family that loses its inward focus, as evidenced by where it spends its money, is showing signs of spiritual weakness and disobeying the Lord and His Holy Word...

Third, a church body or family has a responsibility to its own first, meaning all those who are in Christ, Not just members of their group. Our Lord knows His church (Revelation 2:2, 9, 13, 19), and He commands that His Word be preached (Romans 10:14;) ( 2 Timothy 4:2) and that “the mystery of Christ” be proclaimed (Colossians 4:3). Delivering the gospel is most important. ( In the Old Testament God prepared the Promised Land for His chosen people, and Not the Gentiles or Egypt ) & ( In the and under the New Testament, Christ, Yeshua has prepared Heaven, the New Earth and New Jerusalem for His Bride, His Wife, The Church Only, and Not those who will be still sinners or ungodly ) Anything that furthers that goal should be given priority and paying the pastor is part of that goal. “The Ministers who direct the affairs of the church body and family well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching. Scripture says, ‘Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain,’ and ‘The worker deserves his wages’” (1 Timothy 5:17–18). Those who faithfully minister the Word of God should receive due to compensation for their work (see also 1 Corinthians 9:11). But many think I should not be supported because I don't have or believe in religious buildings many call church homes and I don't teach or lie to God's chosen people about out-dated giving.

Wisdom regarding a church’s body or family expenditures is necessary, and we should be praying for that wisdom (James 1:5). There is nothing sinful about having a fine non-religious building or nicely kept grounds, but we wonder sometimes if the money would be better spent supporting another the Church that Jesus birth and built Himself, you and I or aiding the poorer people in our community and around the world.

The goal of the church body and family should be to do the work of God in the world. And everything should be done to the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31). The early church “devoted themselves to the Apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer” (Acts 2:42). Perhaps these actions—spreading the Word, fellowshipping with one another, observing communion, and praying—should be a basic guide to how a church body and family use its offerings. Amen.

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