"Freely Ye Have Received, Freely
Give"
Matthew 10:8
It has been my privilege to preach the
glorious gospel of Christ in many places around the world.I
have often been asked, either beforehand or afterwards,"What do we
owe you for your expenses?" My answer has always been, "Nothing,
thank you; all my expenses are taken care of." And they always are. God
takes care of his own. I have never negotiated a
salary; but I have never lacked adequate maintenance for myself and my family.
Why am I writing these things? Simply
because I want you to understand that though "the laborer is worthy of his
hire," God's servants are not hirelings. They do not seek compensation for
their labor. They will not allow financial considerations to determine what
they preach or where. They do not provide for themselves or their families.
They live upon the generosity of God's people and refuse to take from them more
than is needed for their livelihood.
When our Lord sent his disciples out to
preach the gospel, he gave them strict commandment, saying, "Provide
neither gold, nor silver, nor brass for your purses, nor scrip for your
journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves." If a man
preaches the gospel he must not entangle himself with the concerns of securing
his own comfort or livelihood. He must trust the God he serves to provide for
him and learn to live upon what God provides.
A man's attitude in this regard is, to me,
an indication of his real affection. Twice in the past twenty years I have invited
men to preach for me who wanted assurance in advance that their expenses would
be met. Though our congregation always meets the expenses of guest preachers, I
politely excused those men because I am convinced that a man with a message
from God will not allow a few dollars, or a few thousand dollars to keep him
from delivering it.
I commend this congregation for your
unceasing generosity to me,to God's servants around
the world,and to the many men who come here to preach the gospel of Christ to us.
I urge you to continue steadfast in the faithful support of the gospel. To any
man aspiring for the work of preaching the gospel I say, do not assume that
work in any place until you are prepared to wait upon God to supply your every
need and are prepared to live upon God's provision.God will provide for his
own.
Don Fortner