“It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
Jesus said that, according to Paul in Acts 20:35. I have heard that verse used in giving appeals all my life. “If you will only give, and give generously, you will receive a greater blessing.” That is true and perhaps that is what Jesus meant in the original (and unknown) context of this statement. But that not what Paul was saying when he quoted Christ. He had a specific reason and purpose which we must understand as leaders of Christ’s church.
Paul was speaking to the elders of the Ephesian church, sharing his parting words. He told them to carefully shepherd the flock of God and to protect them from spiritual predators. Then, he emphasized an important point about his own ministry.
Acts 20:33-35 says, “I have not coveted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing. You yourselves know that these hands have provided for my needs and for those who were with me. In every way I’ve shown you that by laboring like this, it is necessary to help the weak and to keep in mind the words of the Lord Jesus”
He was hammering home the fact that his ministry was not about himself or the accumulation of possessions. He did not use them for his own purposes or exploit them for gain.
That is when he quoted the Savior.
“It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
He was not raising funds here, he was stating a key aspect of his philosophy of ministry. Shepherds care for the sheep. They do not eat the sheep. They do not sell the sheep for their own gain. A good pastor realizes that the blessing of God is on what he does FOR his sheep, not what he gets OUT OF them.
Yes, it is important that we protect the flock of God from the spiritual carnivores out there who would prey on them. But Paul is making an even more important, and unfortunately necessary point.
Pastor, do not BE a spiritual predator!
There is nothing wrong with pastors being paid, even paid well. But there is something seriously wrong with a pastor who looks at his flock as a means of personal gain. Shameful. The shepherd serves the sheep. That is what Jesus did – he came to seek and to save the lost. We must do likewise.
I cannot give anyone specific rules about when a pastor is exercising reasonable financial care for his family and when he has crossed the line and become a charlatan, using the sheep for his own profit. But it is a line we must not cross; we must carefully monitor our hearts.
Perhaps this question will help us as we examine ourselves to see that we are good shepherds. Is your ministry blessing the sheep? Are they growing? Are they fed? Are they safe? Are you willing to sacrifice and lay down your life in the pursuit of those goals? Ministry is about the good of the sheep, not the shepherd.
To be a pastor is to give, to seek God’s blessings through sacrifice and service. A shepherd does not use his sheep, he blesses them. A good shepherd realizes that the true blessing comes from giving to the flock, not receiving from them.
I could go on (as I usually do!) but I am out of time. So, I’m not naming names or using this principle to bash this megachurch pastor or the other. Better that each of us look inside and remind ourselves that the shepherd is blessed when he gives himself to the sheep.
