Here we are reminded of the importance of teaching. The context is with regard to the Word of God. The student needs to appreciate the teacher. This is not talking of empty flattery. This is talking of meeting the needs of the teacher. A godly teacher is not looking for praise. He is a servant of the Lord. He does not need the praise of man to motivate him. He needs the leading of God to guide him. He needs to be someone who cannot be bought. He needs to speak the truth regardless of what the popular view is.
Those who are taught need to share their blessings with the teacher. The Bible teaches that we can encourage those who have taught us by testifying of the blessings that we have received. We can also share with them of the material blessings we have received. God does not put a fee on the Gospel. The faithful teacher does not charge a fee to teach. He teaches because that is his calling. The faithful student of the Word, will be led by God to be a blessing to the teacher in material things.
You notice in verse 6 that it speaks of “in all good things.” The Bible teaches that the teacher needs to be supported by the students. The nation of Israel was to look after the family of Levi. The Levites were to be occupied in the spiritual needs of the nation. The other eleven tribes were to meet the material needs of the Levites. In the New Testament, Paul was instructed to remind the saints to look after the needs of those who minister the Word unto them. It is not about money. It is about spiritual benefits.
In verse 7 we are warned not to be deceived. We need to be in the Word faithfully. God is not mocked. We cannot ridicule or deride God and get away with it. A man that sows to the flesh will reap of the flesh. He will reap corruption. A person that wants to live for this world, will receive the corruption that the world is made up of. Death is a reality for all people. Those who are living for this world, will find that death does not bring them the satisfaction they hoped for.
The Judaizers were sowing to the flesh. Their “gospel” was a false gospel. It was a lie and it was designed to negate the Word of God. They were going to have trouble in their soul and spirit while on this earth and also when they would die. Nothing of real value would come to them.
Those who sow to the Spirit will reap of the Spirit. This again is not talking of earning salvation. It is talking of the blessings that God has in store for those who know Him and serve Him. Those who sow in the Spirit are not doing so to see what they can get back. God has already stated that they will reap life everlasting. The blessings of God are first of all eternal and spiritual. That is the greatest need of man. To know His peace and be blessed by Him is of great need.
The apostle Paul was sowing to the Spirit. He was faithfully preaching and teaching the Word of God. He was helping the Galatians to see the folly of their musings. They needed to get back to the truth and reject the lies of the Judaizers. Those who were saved were going to reap the blessings of walking in the Spirit. Paul was reaping the blessings of obeying God’s will. He was able to help many not just in his day, but in the centuries to come he has been a blessing by faithfully writing down the things that God told him to write. Saints are being blessed today in the study of Paul’s writings. They are not just Paul’s ideas. They are the Word of God.
In verse 9 we see that well doing is not something that we should grow weary of. God’s family learns to share the blessings He gives. God did not design man to live for himself. He designed man to look to the needs of others as well. We are talking of the needs of God’s people. The lost will often put out their hand. They will desire a handout. They need to get saved. The saved are not selfish. They are not lazy. They serve the Lord and seek to be a blessing to others.
There is more and more talk of the coming cashless society. One of the larger banks in Britain is beginning to limit the amount of cash that a person can withdraw or deposit in a day. This is supposed to begin on September 11 of this year. I have noticed that our financial institution often has an “out of order” notice on the bank machine on weekends. Times are changing. Many people have been hoarding their finances for “retirement.” Many people have benefitted from this in the past. However, that time is soon going to be gone. Just as the wealthy farmer that Jesus spoke of, suddenly time is up. All the wealth a person can have will do him no good at death. The wise person is the one who knows the fear of the LORD in his heart and serves Him faithfully.
God promises that the faithful servant will reap in due season if we faint not. The Charismatics are generally greedy people. Their motive for giving or doing something is to get something back in return. They hope for more than they gave. They believe in the lies of men like Kenneth Copeland. Men like him are actually thieves. They deceive others and they live luxuriously off the money of gullible people. Most people purchase a lottery ticket for the same reason. They want to get back more than they spend. The government claims that the profits from the lottery tickets will be used for “good” things. The cost of the gambling industry far outweighs any benefits that could be imagined. Gambling is a sin. God tells us to work with our hands so that we can give to others who are in need.
The false teachers also claim the money given to them goes to a worthy cause. Secretly and sometimes not so secretly they build fancy houses and buy fancy jets and travel here and there to squeeze more money out of gullible people so that they can live their luxurious lifestyle. Their time is coming.
In verse 10 Paul again encouraged the saints to do good to all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.” There are many blessings that God has in store for His children. He wants His children to function like a healthy family. A healthy family looks after each other. Each one pulls their weight and looks after the needs of one another.
We see that in the first century saints. They looked after the needs of one another. Later when there was a famine in Jerusalem, the saints from other areas gave to meet the needs of the saints in Jerusalem.
The saints in Corinth needed to learn the importance of doing good to others. Paul needed to work as a tentmaker for a time because they did not support him. He did not complain about this. He was willing to do this so that the saints could not accuse him of being a burden to them. However, he was also directed by God to teach them the importance of meeting the needs of the apostle Paul so that he could be a greater blessing to them.
The faithful preaching and teaching of the Word of God is precious. It is of great value. We need to be taught properly. We need to see others hear the Gospel and be saved. God’s blessings are more than we expect if we serve Him faithfully.
Pastor Bartel